


The Fault in Our Starboard

by London9Calling



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Awkward Sexual Situations, Boats and Ships, Coming of Age, Humor, M/M, Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/London9Calling/pseuds/London9Calling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minseok has little enthusiasm towards being a boat captain for hire. His lack of excitement towards the profession falters when he is tasked with ferrying a certain rich kid and his friends around the Maldives during winter break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fault in Our Starboard

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [luminations](http://london9calling.livejournal.com/29786.html)  
> round 2016.

Perhaps it was too easy. He knew he was going to pass before it was announced. When the overweight middle aged teacher read off the list, causing all those who passed to break into wide smiles, he sat motionless.  
  
He hadn’t studied for it. During the seven week class he had spent most of the time thinking about what else he could be doing, like maybe going to college, or getting a job overseas, or saying screw it and dropping out of sight to live in an alley with a gaggle of ruffian felines.  
  
As his classmates called their parents to tell them the good news, Minseok pushed his hands into his pockets and made his way to the nearest bus stop. He didn’t need to call his father, he already knew Minseok would pass the test. He didn’t need to call anyone. The only person he actually informed about his new marine captain’s license was the woman who ran the convenience store near his apartment.  
  
She doted on Minseok, shifting into maternal mode whenever she felt like he needed a mother figure. Every now and then she even let it slip. “That father of yours needs to get you a mother.” Minseok found it to be a poorly disguised attempt at hiding her romantic interest in his father.  
  
“That is great news!” The woman clapped her hands together, grinning. “Will you be joining your father then?”  
  
“I am not sure yet.” What Minseok really meant is that no, he didn’t want to captain rich people’s boats for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to be stuck watching affluent assholes throw up off the side of three million dollar yachts after drinking too much champagne. No, he would prefer to do something else – what that was he wasn’t sure.  
  
For as much as Minseok dragged his feet at the idea of following in his father’s footsteps he had yet to put any energy into finding an alternative. He hadn’t scoped out any schools, much less figured out how to find the funds to attend them. He hadn’t thought of a job that he wanted that didn’t require a degree (not that he had thought of one _that did_ , but details). At 19 years old Minseok was pretty sure the entire adult world was not really for him. He missed high school, where all he had to worry about was getting semi decent grades and hanging out with his friends. Stupid adulting. Minseok didn’t like it one bit.  
  
  
  
  
  
His father did eventually call him, later that night, but it wasn’t to ask about the test or inquire after his well being. No, it was for an altogether different reason. He hadn’t heard from his father in a few weeks, ever since he left Shanghai, sailing for the Maldives. It wasn’t unusual. Having a dad who spent most of his time captaining boats was like that.  
  
“I broke my leg.”  
  
“You what?!” Minseok practically screamed into the phone. So being calm when faced with a surprise was not his strong point.  
  
“I was getting supplies in Malé and a scooter hit me.”  
  
“Will you be okay?” Minseok managed to get his question out in a normal tone instead of a shout.  
  
“Yeah, the doc said I should be back to my old self in six to eight weeks. Which is why I am calling. Minseok, I need you to take ov-“  
  
Minseok flinched and held the phone away from his ear. He knew what his father was going to ask. After a few seconds of internal grumbling he rambled into the receiver, “I don’t think that is a good idea. Dad, I just got my license and I haven’t sailed alone for a couple years and I really think it is better if they just hire another captain.”  
  
Dead silence greeted Minseok’s suggestion. His father roughly cleared his throat before speaking. “You are flying in and that is final. Unless you are busy making money elsewhere, you damn well can come down here and take my place.”  
  
His father never was one for masking his true feelings. “Fine,” Minseok answered weakly.  
  
“Great, I’ll text you your flight details. The kids are getting down here in three days so you don’t have a lot of time.”  
  
“The kids?” Minseok was afraid he knew exactly who his father was talking about. He hadn’t bothered asking his dad who he was taking around the islands because in the end it didn’t really matter. The pay was the same and Minseok wasn’t there to have to deal with them.  
  
“Luhan is on winter break, he is bringing some friends. Which means you better behave yourself because they aren’t much younger than you.”  
  
Minseok gritted his teeth. If there was one person in the Lu family he absolutely didn’t want to deal with it was Luhan, the only son of the oldest brother of the wealthy-beyond-imagination manufacturing dynasty.  
  
The last time Minseok had seen Luhan they were both children, when Minseok tagged along as his father captained a cruise around the coast for Luhan’s father. Luhan had done nothing but make trouble, including but not limited to pushing Minseok overboard. He hadn’t seen Luhan in years and that had been a good thing.  
  
Yet he didn’t really have a choice. He held the phone away from his ear and swore under his breath. After a few seconds he returned, resigning himself to his fate.  
  
“It is the Jade Monkey, right?” It was such a stupid name for a boat, Minseok had always thought so. He had piloted the 80-foot-yacht before. The Lu Family had purchased it a few years back and used it among the extended family frequently. The difference however would be piloting it alone. Minseok’s father had always been in the wheelhouse with him.  
  
“Yeah. She made it here fine. The engine is tuned up and ready to go. It is a three week cruise, everything is programmed and I have the course mapped out. I will assume you remember the sailing conditions down here.”  
  
“Yeah, I remember.” Minseok remembered all right. He had accompanied his father when he captained the yacht on a three week journey for the Lu Family’s eldest daughter, an elderly woman who spent most of the time complaining about sun exposure while her guests got drunk and played mahjong. During the voyage there had been more than one time when his father had pointed out the shallow water and spotty reefs, natural obstacles that a sailor had to be conscious of.  
  
“K. I will text you later, it is pain pill time for me.”  
  
“Dad, don’t take too many.”  
  
“I won’t, I won’t.” His father usually never said goodbye and this time was no different. The connection dropped, leaving Minseok to cradle the phone.  
  
So now he was off to the Maldives for three weeks, doing something he really didn’t want to do. Great. Adulting. Much fun.  
  
  
  
  
  
Two days later Minseok hauled his luggage through Beijing’s airport, 12 hours of flight time before him. When it came down to it he much preferred sailing to flying, but his situation didn’t allow him the weeks it would take to arrive in the Maldives by boat.  
  
He boarded his flight at 10:30 AM, finding himself sitting next to a middle aged business man who seemed to have no concept of a personal bubble. He regularly jabbed his elbow into Minseok’s ribs, making for an altogether horrid few hours of flight.  
  
Minseok had a two hour layover in Guangzhou before boarding a flight to his final destination, Malé. He spent the time in-between flights wandering around the shops, checking out the magazines he was never going to buy and the snacks he wasn’t going to eat. Not when he knew that the same things would cost half the price outside the airport. Growing up without a ton of money, he had learned how to be frugal.  
  
The final four hour flight started nicely enough, with Minseok relishing the fact he wasn’t burdened with a seatmate. He had the not-spacious economy row to himself, all two seats of it. Still, it was enough room to throw his carry-on on the seat next to him (not to mention hogging the precious armrest he was so blindly robbed of during his first flight).  
  
Everything was great, as peaceful as it could be for a person being made to do something they had no desire to do. Until the noise from first class filtered back into economy.  
  
“You call this a meal?!”  
  
“Sir, this is standard-“  
  
“Standaaard? This is standard?” The male’s words were slurred, he sounded drunk.  
  
Minseok poked his head up, peeking over the seats to get a better look. The curtain to first class was closed so he couldn’t see what was happening.  
  
“Sir, I assure you that-“  
  
“I am calling my father if you so much as think thiiisss is acceptable.”  
  
The flight attendant kept trying to reason with the man. Minseok felt bad for what she was enduring, the threats and insults hurled out by someone who was obviously intoxicated. He noticed how other passengers kept looking up the aisle as well, everyone hearing the same ugly scene ringing through the cabin.  
  
Economy class was so engrossed in the dispute that a collective jump was made as the curtain separating first class and economy was thrown open. Everyone averted their eyes as a man stumbled down the aisle.  
  
“Sir, what are you doing? Sir?!” The flight attendant stood in the doorway, her face flushed and her hand reaching for the man who staggered forward.  
  
Unlike the others, Minseok did not avert his gaze. He snorted as he observed the man – no, teenager – attempting to walk down the aisle. He had bleach blonde hair, a baby face, and clothes that probably cost more than Minseok’s father had ever made in his lifetime (Minseok didn’t miss the huge diamond studded marine watch around his wrist). He was drunk and unsteady on his feet, his youthful face contorted into a look of disgust.  
  
When the man fell into an empty seat, Minseok stifled a laugh. He thought he had done so effectively but what happened next made it apparent that he had been louder than he had meant to be.  
  
“What isss sooo funny?” The drunk man wagged a finger at Minseok, who was sitting a few rows back from where he had fallen.  
  
Minseok kept his mouth shut and decided staring out the window was the best course of action. The man had other ideas. A few seconds later he was leaning on the seat in front of Minseok, his head swaying as he stared.  
  
“I said what is ssssooo funny?”  
  
Minseok pointedly ignored him which only served to make the teenager more irate.  
  
“I AM TALKING TO YOU!”  
  
Minseok turned his head and stared at the boy. “I’m sorry, can I help you?” Perhaps it was not the right thing to say, but Minseok said it. Being consistently subtle was also not his strong point.  
  
The boy let a curse word fly and probably would have done more than that if his friend hadn’t appeared from first class, grabbing ahold of his shoulders and directing him back towards where he came.  
  
“Sorry about that.” His friend, a chestnut haired teenager that looked a few years older and infinitely nicer (Minseok was partial for dimples), apologized profusely as he led his friend away.  
  
Minseok didn’t respond to the apology. Instead he went back to looking out the window. What an obnoxious encounter for what promised to be an obnoxious three week journey.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok’s father met him at the airport. He was seated in a wheelchair, looking slightly dazed, no doubt due to whatever pain medication he was taking.  
  
Minseok would have scolded him for taking the ferry all the way to meet him but he knew it would be a waste of breath. He had inherited his stubborn nature from his father, after all.  
  
“Change of plans, kiddo.” His father waved Minseok away when he tried to push the wheelchair. “They are flying in today.”  
  
“Today?!” Minseok whined. That meant he didn’t have time to get used to the wheelhouse and inspect the ship before the passengers would be aboard.  
  
“Yeah, seems like they were eager to go. They are giving us an extra thousand to start today though so I couldn’t say no.” Minseok digested the news and swallowed his annoyance.  
  
He dragged his luggage behind him as he scoped out the airport. He could see the seaplanes outside the terminal and the crystal blue waters beyond. The Maldives were beautiful, a spread out nation of coral reefs, some of which formed atolls – chains of white sandy islands surrounding azure lagoons. It was no wonder the tropical paradise had become so popular with the wealthy, everywhere one turned there was natural beauty that took your breath away.  
  
Minseok would love to vacation here, but that wasn’t in the cards. He was here for work.  
  
“So how long until they board the ship?” Minseok tore his eyes away from the ocean view, dodging a tourist as they nearly collided with his suitcase.  
  
“An hour.”  
  
Minseok swore under his breath.  
  
  
  
  
  
A half an hour later the ferry from the airport arrived at Jetty 5, the same pier that the Jade Monkey was docked at. Minseok helped his father from the ferry by supporting his weight as a ferry worker lifted the wheelchair onto the dock.  
  
“After I get you settled, I am on my way out.” His father wheeled himself along and Minseok followed.  
  
As they approached the unmistakable yacht – a glossy white pleasure boat with a painting of a green monkey on the port and starboard sides – a small group of people could be seen milling in front of the vessel.  
  
“Shit, I didn’t think they would get here before us.” Minseok’s father wheeled faster while Minseok broke into a speed walk, his suitcase making loud thuds as it flew over the wood boards of the jetty.  
  
“We don’t have all daaaayyyyyy!” The shout was loud and clear. Okay, maybe not clear. Minseok found it to be slightly slurred.  
  
Minseok tightly gripped his suitcase handle as he looked on in horror, the blonde haired man from first class standing near the boat.  
  
“What are my parents paying youuuu for?” He tapped his expensive watch as his friends duplicated his annoyed stance.  
  
At that moment Minseok realized that the next three weeks were going to be even more terrible than he thought possible.  
  
“Remember you can’t hit him.” It was the last piece of advice his father gave him before wheeling himself back towards the ferry.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok bit his tongue at the number of teenagers that boarded the boat. Technically the yacht had accommodations for six, he counted ten. He knew he couldn’t say anything about it because it wasn’t his place. Still, it irked him.  
  
Luhan, or as Minseok had decided to call him mentally, Ass Hat, stumbled into the boat with the help of his friends. Minseok secretly hoped he would fall and sprain an ankle, putting an end to the entire trip. He wasn’t so lucky, ass hat made it onto the boat without incident.  
  
Half an hour later Minseok was sitting in the wheelhouse, pouring over the itinerary. The islands were widely dispersed, yet in total nautical miles and under the right conditions Minseok could push the boat from the southernmost tip to the northernmost tip in two days. He wasn’t going to do that, however. His father’s carefully calculated route (based on the client’s request) was easy going. A lot of stops, a lot of downtime moored outside of resorts while the passengers went ashore to play.  
  
He checked the instrument panel, knowing his father would have already inspected every little detail, every minute calculation. Yet he had to see it for himself.  
  
“Captain, get down here!”  
  
Minseok ignored the yell the first time, and the second time, and attempted to ignore it for a third time without success. Something hit the back of his head, causing him to turn around with a nasty scowl on his face. Thankfully the object had been a pillow. Unfortunately, the person who threw it was Luhan.  
  
“I was talking to you!”  
  
Minseok narrowed his eyes. “I am preparing the ship for departure.”  
  
Luhan rolled his eyes. “And I, your employer, am telling you to get the hell down here.”  
  
Minseok desperately wanted to respond by reminding Luhan that he hadn’t hired him – his family had. Luhan was just another spoiled brat who threw his parents’ power around to make himself feel better.  
  
Minseok wanted to, but he held back. He descended the spiral staircase to the main salon, gritting his teeth at each step. He had a hunch that any reason Luhan had thought up to require his presence was probably stupid and useless and uselessly stupid.  
  
The salon was packed. The tan sofa was playing host to four boys while another two lounged on the floor. The dining room table, made of teak and polished to a high shine, was currently subjected to three boys splaying their arms out in various states of drunken relaxation. Luhan stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips.  
  
“Can I help you?” Minseok plastered on a false smile, stopping short of the sneer he wanted to flash.  
  
“What is your name?” Luhan sounded less intoxicated than he had a half hour ago. Was it possible to sober up so quickly?  
  
“Kim Minseok.” Had Luhan really dragged him from the wheelhouse to exchange greetings?  
  
“Hm. Well, Minseok, I want you to know right now that whatever anyone wants they get – as long as I say it is okay. Got it. If any of these assholes tell you to sail to the next island, clean their room, or cook them ramyun you get the okay from me first.”  
  
Minseok almost choked at the order. Clean? Cook? He wasn’t there as a maid and personal servant. He was there to steer the boat. It wasn’t unusual for staff to be brought along to do just that but _never_ was it the captain doing the cleaning and cooking.  
  
For whatever reason Luhan’s family hadn’t sent a maid on the journey and Minseok sure as hell wasn’t going to make up for that oversight. How Luhan had come to a different conclusion was beyond Minseok but he needed to make it very clear that this was not the case. “I am not a cook or a servant you can order around. I am here as the captain of the boat, nothing more, nothing less.”  
  
“Great, can we get going then?” One of the boys sprawled on the floor asked, looking utterly bored with the entire exchange. If Minseok thought Luhan’s friends might be offended by the way he talked about them, it did not appear to be the case.  
  
“Sounds like a plan.” Minseok turned around and started for the wheelhouse, done with Luhan and his demands.  
  
“Get back here! Yah! I am not done talking to you!” Luhan sounded like a small child throwing a fit over bath time.  
  
“I am done talking to you,” Minseok called over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around.  
  
“Oh, I like him.” Minseok heard one of the guys mutter as he ascended the staircase.  
  
Luhan was probably now planning his demise, but so be it. Minseok only had so much patience when it came to spoiled entitled brats.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The first destination spelled out on the itinerary was Kuredu Island, Lhaviyani Atoll, a couple of hours sail from Malé. An all-inclusive resort was housed on the island, a sprawling place with a dozen bars and restaurants and infinite options for wealthy young men looking for excitement and the trouble that would inevitably accompany such excitement.  
  
Despite the short duration of the voyage it was fraught with potential dangers. Minseok kept his eyes trained to the instrument panel, extra vigilant as he maneuvered the pleasure craft due north. The Maldives were as potentially deadly as they were beautiful, full of pockets of shallow water and jagged rocks. It was easy to run into trouble if you did not proceed with caution.  
  
Minseok had a lot of experience sailing dangerous waters. Shanghai’s port was rife with nets and buoys, floating debris and a myriad of other obstacles that could easily rip a gash in the hull of a boat. Minseok’s father had continuously praised the dangerous waters. “You won’t find a better place to learn how to maneuver a boat.”  
  
Minseok learned through trial and error, more specifically almost sinking two of the smaller boats that his father had purchased to help him learn. Rugged, beat down little things, they were bought with his father’s savings in an effort to give Minseok a starting point. A way to learn. And learn he had, much to his own chagrin.  
  
While he had taken an interest in learning to sail at first, the more time that passed the less he wanted to get out on the open water. The more he felt like he was being herded into only one career path. It was something he still felt, something that still ate at him, still made him feel suffocated.  
  
When Kuredu Island appeared dead ahead, Minseok relaxed his shoulders. He had successfully gotten them through the first leg of the journey intact, the only downside being the incessant blaring of Katy Perry songs from the salon below.  
  
  
  
  
  
Once the ship was anchored against the long pier, Minseok made an announcement via the ship’s intercom. “It is now safe to depart the vessel.”  
  
There were a handful of resort employees at the end of the pier, waiting to assist their new guests. Minseok watched the passengers through the wheelhouse window, some of the boys staggering a bit more than others. He had guessed they would get into the onboard liquor cabinet at the earliest opportunity, downing glasses of imported whiskey and outrageously expensive wine.  
  
Once all ten boys were off the boat, Minseok having counted just in case, he went about rereading the navigation plan. They would be docked here for the next three days, which meant Minseok had as long to mill about the boat. It wasn’t protocol for him to leave the ship, and it wouldn’t work anyway. He didn’t have an extra ten thousand dollars laying around to book a stay on the resort himself.  
  
Three days alone would be nice, he decided, as he went to the kitchen and fixed himself a snack. The least amount of time he would be forced to spend in Luhan’s presence the better. When he wasn’t executing maintenance on the ship he could relax, perhaps even pick up that novel he had cast aside a few months back. Yes, it would almost be like he was on vacation.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok’s self-declared vacation ended exactly twelve hours after it had begun. He had fallen asleep on the sofa in the wheelhouse, a book on his lap as he dozed in the warm afternoon sun.  
  
And then everything was wet. He snapped his eyes open in fright. When you were on a boat and suddenly drenched in water it was usually not a good sign.  
  
Minseok jumped up and looked around the wheelhouse in panic. When he heard laughter, he was overwhelmed with confusion. It took him a few moments to figure out where it was coming from – behind him, near the staircase.  
  
“Rise and shine, captain!”  
  
Luhan. He was nearly doubled over with laughter. He sounded intoxicated, how he was still walking after drinking for twelve plus hours was a mystery.  
  
“What in the hell was that?!” Minseok balled his hands into fists.  
  
“Water.” Luhan’s expression changed from one of mirth to dead seriousness. It was eerie. “Time to come onshore.”  
  
“What are you talking about?” Minseok was certain the boy was drunkenly rambling, probably had no idea what he was talking about.  
  
“I said, grab your stuff. Time to come on shore,” Luhan repeated.  
  
“I can’t leave the ship.”  
  
“Can’t or won’t?” Luhan whipped out a cell phone. The gadget looked like it cost more than the asking price for a small house. With a push of a button the call was on speaker.  
  
“Dad, can the captain come on shore I mean, he is our age and it would be a shame if he spent all this time just hanging out on the ship. It is Kim Minseok, his father broke his leg, how sad. I am sure he can bunk with one of us.” Luhan looked downright evil as he spoke, a glint in his eyes as he pretended to give a shit about Minseok’s father.  
  
“You really called me for this?” Luhan’s father sounded annoyed. “Whatever, as long as he is doing his job, I don’t give a shit what he does in his free time.”  
  
“Thanks, dad. I won’t bother you again.” Click.  
  
Minseok glared at the blonde haired boy.  
  
“So if you don’t go, it is _won’t_ , not _can’t_.” The fucker. “And if you don’t go, I shall be quite disappointed and I highly doubt your father or mine wants to hear about how horribly you did your job.”  
  
  
  
  
  
“Falling coconuts, the sun – remember we are near the equator.” The boy was half slumped over the bar, lecturing the others with varying success. Some of them were outright ignoring him, others were picking at their bar napkins in obvious boredom. “Ah, and the Trigger Fish. They have teeth! Not to mention coral-“ He wagged his finger at his companions. “It can cut your feet, and bits are all over the beach so wear aqua shoes!”  
  
“Junmyeon, can you please shut up.” A tall teenager, probably the tallest in the group, shot the lecturer an annoyed look. “This is supposed to be a vacation. I have no idea why you were even invited.”  
  
The argument was interrupted when Luhan entered the bar, Minseok trailing behind him. “Told you it would work,” Luhan announced smugly.  
  
Minseok had thrown on a pair of cargo shorts and a white t-shirt, changing out of his more cumbersome work clothes. He felt awkward and was still angry about the entire situation as he followed Luhan from the pier to the bar, courtesy of a golf cart driven by one of the resort staff. He had high hopes that the guys would pass out soon and he could sneak back to the boat for alone time.  
  
“Welcome!”  
  
Minseok took a step back as he was enthusiastically greeted by the same man that he had encountered on the flight over, the one who had dragged Luhan away. He jumped off the bar stool and held his hand out. “I hope this isn’t a bad thing for you.” He gestured with his other hand, as if to indicate what might be bad for Minseok. “My name is Yixing.”  
  
Minseok stared at the offered hand for a fraction of a second before he grasped it in his own. “I am Minseok.”  
  
“Nice to meet you.” Yixing really did have a nice smile, a single dimple appearing as he looked at Minseok with warmth in his eyes.  
  
Minseok had no sooner opened his mouth to return the greeting when he felt an arm hook around his neck and drag him forward.  
  
“Enough of that. Time to drink.” Luhan pulled him over to an empty bar stool and plopped down next to him.  
  
“Haven’t you already drank enough?” Minseok cocked an eyebrow at Luhan, challenging his behavior.  
  
“Nonsense!” Luhan ordered a round of shots from the bikini clad bartender and shoved one towards Minseok. “Drink.”  
  
Minseok stared at the shot glass. “Why did you drag me here?”  
  
Luhan didn’t miss a beat. “To torture you for being a dick and not listening to me before.”  
  
Minseok should have guessed as much.  
  
“Now drink or I will force it down your throat.”  
  
Minseok took the shot and pounded the glass down on the table. Maybe if he loosened up a bit, maybe if Luhan drank more, he could get away with punching the smug look off his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
The sun had already set when they stumbled out of the bar. Minseok was warm all over, more buzzed up than he wanted to be. After a while he stopped taking every shot Luhan pushed at him, preferring to sip a mixed drink instead. Luhan hadn’t harassed him for it, not after his attention was stolen by one of his friend’s attempts at trying to create a shot fountain. Soon Minseok was nearly forgotten, allowed to observe the other boys.  
  
He learned from Yixing that they all attended the same exclusive prep school, a branch of an English private academy that operated in Japan. They were in different grades, Luhan one of the oldest boys and set to graduate in spring. While Minseok had graduated last year, the prep school that Luhan and the others attended went a year beyond what was required by the Chinese education system. Another example, Minseok thought, of how they came from different worlds.  
  
Most of the guys were Korean but were multilingual, as fluent in Mandarin as they were in Korean, Japanese, and English. A byproduct of their lifelong education, one of the most expensive money could buy.  
  
Minseok could speak Mandarin fluently and his Korean was decent, but not to the level of a native speaker. It was what happened when you grew up in a different country than that of your birth. His parents had emigrated when he was a baby. Knowing he was surrounded by people his age who were multilingual made him wish he had studied a bit harder when he had the chance.  
  
Yixing sidled up to Minseok somewhere in between the time everyone stopped to mow down three pizzas and when the next round of shots was purchased. The man was more than happy to ramble on while Minseok remained quiet.  
  
He pointed out the other boys, explaining their names and personalities.  
  
“His name is Yifan but he tells everyone to call him Kris, his Western name.” Yixing gestured towards the tall blonde, a drop dead gorgeous man who had been on the receiving end of many stares over the last few hours. “He went to middle school in Canada. Nice guy but doesn’t like to show it.”  
  
Minseok learned that the man who had been lecturing the others was named Kim Junmyeon. “Best grades in the whole school with a personality to match. A perfect child for a perfect family. He rooms with Luhan.”  
  
Yixing was making it apparent with every little ramble that Luhan was the center of this group, the leader, someone they all gravitated towards “Why do you guys put up with Luhan?” Minseok finally asked, not able to fathom how someone with such a terrible temperament could be so well liked.  
  
“He isn’t that bad, just likes to pretend he is.” Yixing shrugged. “I guess it is an acquired taste, I mean, being his friend.”  
  
Minseok wasn’t convinced but he let it go.  
  
The other blonde kid was named Oh Sehun and from what Yixing said “lived for fashion and poor life choices”. There was Kim Jongdae, a kid with the word mischief written all over his face, who Yixing explained grew up in a family “with more money than the Chinese government”.  
  
Park Chanyeol was tall and kind of awkward with a face that looked far too innocent. By the way he was downing shots and flirting with every girl who so much as looked his way Minseok had a feeling his personality did not match his looks.  
  
Byun Baekhyun was another Korean kid, most of the time he seemed to be glued to another teenager who Minseok learned was named Do Kyungsoo. “Fire and water, and lots of hitting” is how Yixing described the pair. “Somehow they have been friends since they were this tall.” He held his hand up a few feet off the ground.  
  
Kim Jongin rounded out the group, a tall kid with sleepy eyes. He stuck close to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo and seemed very free in his affections towards at least one of them. Minseok watched him hug Kyungsoo from behind time and time again.  
  
Yixing noticed that Minseok was staring at the pair. “Kyungsoo and Jongin are _maybe_ together, if you know what I mean. They haven’t confirmed it but it isn’t that hard to jump to conclusions. Their families are super close so it is like they are already, well - have approval.”  
  
Minseok looked at the pair in a new light. They did look overly friendly, with the way Jongin’s hand lingered on Kyungsoo’s waist. “As in dating?”  
  
“Yeah.” A slight hint of red appeared on Yixing’s cheeks. “Do you have a problem with that?”  
  
Minseok shook his head. “No.”  
  
Minseok didn’t have any gay friends but he had known since middle school that he wasn’t straight. He thought the correct term was bisexual but with his lack of overall dating experience he didn’t want to try to fit himself into a label.  
  
“That’s good.” Yixing’s wide smile made Minseok think there was something there that wasn’t being said but he didn’t pry.  
  
Later, when they staggered from the bar, Luhan recalled Minseok’s presence. “Captain! Come on, let’s go.”  
  
“Where?” Minseok found that Luhan liked to drag people. His arm was slung over Minseok’s shoulders this time, urging him forward.  
  
“Another” hiccup “bar”.  
  
Minseok shrugged Luhan’s arm off. “I am going to bed.”  
  
“But the night is young!” Luhan threw his arms open. “Plus I haven’t thoroughly gotten my revenge.”  
  
If that was supposed to make Minseok want to continue drinking it wasn’t working. He stood his ground. “I want to go to bed.”  
  
Luhan started to argue but was cut off when Junmyeon stepped up and announced. “I am going to bed too. Come on Minseok.”  
  
It was surprising since the man hadn’t said more than two words to Minseok the whole night but Minseok wouldn’t turn down a perfect way out.  
  
“Should have known you would be the first to sleep. Gotta get up early and balance your checkbook?” Kris snorted, the others laughing with him.  
  
Junmyeon ignored the comment. “Come on, you can stay in my cabin.”  
  
Luhan made a move to protest but was easily distracted when Sehun started shouting drunkenly at one of the resort staff, asking for transportation to one of the other bars. It was a prime time for the pair to escape and escape they did, Minseok trailing after Junmyeon.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok found Junmyeon to be very easy to get along with. He wasn’t drunk, which was a total surprise to Minseok.  
  
“Told the bar staff to give me water, made them think I was pretty hardcore sipping vodka all night.” Junmyeon laughed at his own antics.  
  
“I should have thought of that.” Minseok regretted drinking what he had, even if he was nowhere near as intoxicated as the others.  
  
“Experience, my friend, taught me it is best not to drink too much around them. Once they start they don’t stop until they get kicked out or pass out.”  
  
“When did they start drinking like that?” The legal drinking age in China was 18, but that was rarely enforced. He had no idea about Japan but judging by what he had witnessed that night Luhan and his friends were not new to getting sloshed out of their minds.  
  
“Tenth grade, so…two or three years,” Junmyeon answered.  
  
“Two years?! How?” Tenth grade seemed so young to be drinking that much.  
  
“Parents that don’t care, enough money to get around the penalties, enough money donated to the school to stay out of trouble for the occasional infraction.” Junmyeon shrugged. “It isn’t all that rare.”  
  
The wealthy truly had an advantage when it came to most things - including being horribly irresponsible at an early age and not paying for it.  
  
Junmyeon’s room was one of the sea bungalows, luxurious suites that sat on stilts a few yards above the blue waters. A long boardwalk led to the rooms. Minseok briefly wondered how the others would manage the walk without falling into the water.  
  
When they got into the room, Junmyeon offered up the bed and bunked down on the sofa. Minseok protested and in fifteen minutes they were laying in the darkness, Minseok on the sofa and Junmyeon tucked into the king size bed.  
  
“Goodnight.”  
  
Minseok mumbled a goodnight in return, unsure of how good of a night it actually was. Now that he had followed Luhan onshore he had a feeling that the next few weeks would be a constant struggle, even more so than if he had stayed on the boat.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok’s internal clock kicked in around five in the morning, just as the sun began to rise over the island paradise. Junmyeon was snoring away in the oversized bed, the sheets tangled in his legs as his left arm dangled over the side of the bed.  
  
Minseok tried to be as quiet as possible as he rose from the sofa. Despite drinking the day before he felt great, his only complaint was a faint rumble from his stomach. He patted his tummy and slipped on his beat up white boat shoes.  
  
He needed to return to the Jade Monkey (god he hated that stupid name). It felt wrong leaving the vessel alone for so long, even if they were currently docked at a high end resort with excellent security.  
  
He found the yacht in good shape, nothing amiss as he hunkered down in the wheelhouse to eat a sandwich. He checked all the instrument panels visually as he took big bites of the turkey and ham concoction he had thrown together, not fully awake enough to care to cook.  
  
Soon his mind began to wander to the night before, the little things he observed among Luhan and his group of friends. Their mannerisms and the way half of them seemed like they couldn’t stand each other and then couldn’t live without each other in the next breath, slipping from aversion to devotion seamlessly. And Luhan, the one who held them all into one cohesive social group, was still a mystery.  
  
Minseok could honestly think of zero reasons why anyone would want to be Luhan’s friend, aside from money that is. And all of Luhan’s friends seemed to have plenty of money themselves, some even more than Luhan’s family did, so that was clearly not what was binding them to him.  
  
So what was it? And why did he care? The fact that he was trying to pick this all apart in his brain occurred to him and he shook his head in response. No, it didn’t matter. He didn’t care. Luhan was a prick and that was everything he needed to know. The ass hat.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok’s skin hated the sun and the sun hated Minseok’s skin. It was a mutual hatred. When, at the worst time of the day for sun exposure, he was once again dragged from the boat for an afternoon of “laying on the beach, getting a tan, not drinking as much as yesterday” he was annoyed.  
  
“I don’t want to lay on a beach,” he called after Luhan.  
  
“Seems like you don’t want to do anything. It must be really boring to be you.”  
  
An image of tossing Luhan into the water, expensive sunglasses and all, flashed in front of Minseok’s eyes. Maybe holding him under for a few seconds too….maybe.  
  
“I was wondering where you had gotten off to!” Junmyeon offered a cheesy wave. “Thought my snoring probably scared you away.”  
  
“It probably did,” Kris drawled. “Among other things.”  
  
It was only for a split second, but Junmyeon’s face reflected a change, a flicker in emotion, that in Minseok’s opinion looked almost pained. Like Kris’s words really hurt him.  
  
“At least he would room with me. No one would dare set foot near you and that ungodly cheap cologne of yours.” Junmyeon attempted a comeback but it fell flat. Kris didn’t acknowledge it. Instead he turned to Chanyeol and started talking about something completely unrelated.  
  
“I need sunscreen,” Minseok blurted out in an attempt to cut through the awkward.  
  
The guys were all gathered on the northern beach of the island, a secluded white sand landscape with no one else around (other than a resort waiter standing an inconspicuous distance away, ready to be ordered to and fro). Lounge chairs were scattered around as were towels, sandals, and a wayward pair of designer sunglasses. Large blue umbrellas were planted haphazardly in the sand offering a measure of shade. Minseok spotted a soccer ball poking out from under one of the lounge chairs.  
  
Yet amid all the beach accoutrements he had yet to spy a bottle of sunscreen. It figured that they would forgo it and end up bright red and in pain by the time dinner rolled around. The islands were so close to the equator it took little effort and less time to fry your skin to a crisp.  
  
“Did you say sunscreen?” It was Yixing who appeared with a bottle of the stuff, his dimple flashing as he squirted a big dollop of SPF 90 on his hand.  
  
Minseok reached out to take the gob of lotion from him but was never given the chance, Yixing went right to work applying it on the captain.  
  
It was an awkward feeling and something Minseok had never experienced, having someone put lotion on him. He instinctively pulled away. Yixing frowned. “Did I hurt you?”  
  
“No-no.” Minseok offered a weak smile.  
  
“You guys are hurting _me_. Seriously Yixing, have some tact, the man can put his own lotion on.” Luhan seemed annoyed. Yixing smiled brightly at Luhan and returned to his lounge chair.  
  
Minseok rubbed the lotion into his arms before locating a place to sit. He picked the last chair in the long line and spread a towel down on the chair. He walked a few feet away and grabbed an umbrella to plant next to him for shade.  
  
A few minutes later Baekhyun plopped down in the chair next to him, his hair messy and wet from a quick swim in the ocean.  
  
“How goes it Captain?” Baekhyun spoke without looking at Minseok, his attention focused on the others still roughhousing in the shallow water.  
  
Minseok grunted a noncommittal response, not really in the mood to converse. The sun was already getting to him and he hadn’t even been laying around for that long.  
  
“Sehun wants to know if coral is edible,” Chanyeol called to no one in particular.  
  
“Seriously he has to ask that?” Baekhyun mumbled. He returned the question with a shout. “Yes, it is like a plant, dummy!”  
  
“No! Don’t eat it!” Minseok shouted, afraid they would try.  
  
Sehun held up a piece of red coral and examined it. For a fraction of a second Minseok feared he would put it in his mouth. When he tossed it back into the water Minseok breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
A minute or so passed in silence before Baekhyun asked “Do you know how to swim?”  
  
Minseok burst out laughing. “Are you seriously asking if I know how to swim?” He captained a boat, of course he knew how to swim.  
  
“Movement to play the game in the water!” Baekhyun shouted, to whom and about what Minseok had no clue.  
  
When Luhan perked up, or more accurately slowly leaned up from his lounge chair, Minseok had a bad feeling. “What in the hell are you talking about?”  
  
“Captain can swim, we should play it in the water.”  
  
Luhan pursed his lips for a second, appearing deep in thought.  
  
“Baekhyun?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Has anyone ever told you that you are a moron?” Luhan delivered the insult in a monotone voice, retreating back to his lounge chair.  
  
“I AM NOT!” Baekhyun protested.  
  
“How in the hell are we going to play soccer in the ocean?” Luhan called back.  
  
Baekhyun opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He flopped back in the lounge chair. “Fine, I see your point.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Twenty minutes later the soccer match got under way and Minseok quickly discovered that he had far more to do with the game than he would have liked.  
  
“I never got my revenge last night.” Luhan glared at Minseok like it was his fault. “So I get it today. One match, feel free to pick your teammates first. I win then you do what I say _when I say it_. You win I won’t drag you from the boat anymore.”  
  
“Really?” Minseok couldn’t help but sound excited. Not having to deal with Luhan on a daily basis was a dream come true.  
  
“Yep. Because there is no possible way you are going to win.” Luhan smiled. “I am the soccer captain at our academy and have a very good chance of making it to the Asian Games in a few years.”  
  
Of course he was. But still, the possibility of being left alone was appealing enough for Minseok to agree to it. He picked five people at random, because of course he had no idea who among the group could actually play. He attempted to make educated guesses by their body types, on display in swim trunks and loose t-shirts, but that type of guess work only went so far. Minseok knew plenty of fit guys back in high school that couldn’t play sports to save their souls.  
  
He ended up with Jongin, Sehun, Junmyeon, Jongdae, and Yixing on his team, facing off against Luhan, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Kris, and Chanyeol.  
  
Luhan’s team had the ball first and after a skilled push, sand kicking up as Luhan expertly weaved around Minseok’s team while never losing control, Minseok knew the boy hadn’t been lying. He was good, _really good_. He made a goal before anyone could stop him, easily kicking the ball past Sehun’s head and into their makeshift net.  
  
Minseok, for all of his tendencies to procrastinate over certain elements of his life, was straight up competitive when it came to sports. He hadn’t played on his high school’s team, but he had messed around on the soccer field with his friends and prided himself in being the best among them. Now that his opponent was Luhan he was determined to win.  
  
The game was close, the teams chased the other in terms of points. The sport became rough, everyone getting into the challenge. Elbows and arms, a few face plants into the sand. It was the kind of game Minseok liked to play.  
  
Minseok was sweating buckets, his shirt long discarded as he yelled words of encouragement to his team in between passes. He delighted in the way Luhan scrunched his face up in displeasure every time they scored. It was enough to make Minseok almost forget the sun.  
  
In the middle of a rough pass between Jongin and Yixing, Kyungsoo swooped in to intercept the ball. It wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if he hadn’t of scored right away, pushing Luhan’s team two points over Minseok’s. Tensions were high and they were probably taking everything too seriously, one little comment caused so much chaos.  
  
“Jongin, thanks for letting your boy toy steal the ball.” Chanyeol yelled across the beach, flashing a thumbs up.  
  
After it was all done Minseok realized something must have been building up for a while. Some undercurrent of hostility that finally became a raging torrent with that single comment. Minseok watched as Jongin all but sprinted across the beach, straight towards Chanyeol.  
  
“He is not my BOY TOY!”  
  
Jongin’s fists collided with Chanyeol’s face so hard that the crack made Minseok flinch. He had to have broken something or at least knocked a few teeth out.  
  
Chanyeol staggered back, clutching his jaw. He didn’t wait long before returning with a swing, landing a punch on Jongin’s nose. The surprise everyone felt after the first punch was quickly shaken off as the other boys rushed towards the fighting pair. Minseok watched dumbly, unsure of what to do.  
  
As Luhan pushed himself in between the two boys, more insults were hurled across the beach, this time by different people. It was as if the floodgates were open now and each little comment deserved a venomous rebuttal.  
  
“Jongin, fucking calm down, it isn’t like he kicked your dog!” Kris had his hands on Jongin’s shoulder, trying to pull him back.  
  
Junmyeon was latched onto Chanyeol’s arm, attempting to drag him backwards as Luhan pushed from the front. “That is a stupid thing to say – Chanyeol insinuated –“  
  
“Insinuated what?! Has everyone forgotten who the fuck is here?! Think before you speak!” Baekhyun screamed, his voice entering the melee.  
  
Minseok noticed Yixing step back from the tangle, a sad look on his face as he stalked off towards the lounge chairs. Kyungsoo was long gone, having retreated down the beach after throwing his hat so hard it bounced across the sand.  
  
“All of you, fucking shut up!” Luhan yelled, his voice louder than the rest as he succeeded in separating Jongin from Chanyeol. Kris held Jongin back until he stopped struggling while Chanyeol let Junmyeon lead him away from the beach, destination unknown. Luhan dragged his hand through his hair, fuming at his friends.  
  
Minseok felt uncomfortable. Uncomfortable he had witnessed whatever had gone down, uncomfortable that he had no idea what to do next, _all around uncomfortable_.  
  
“I am going back to the boat.” Minseok mumbled it. He felt too awkward to stay, like he was intruding on a very brutal and private moment in their social group. He wasn’t their friend, it was time to go.  
  
As he made his way back to the path, he could hear Luhan and Jongin talking. What surprised him the most was how much softer, how much gentler Luhan sounded. Almost like he cared.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok didn’t hear from Luhan until later that night – or next day, considering the hour hand was past twelve, indicating that it was very early in the morning.  
  
When Minseok heard a noise in the salon he tensed, unsure of who could be onboard. He grabbed the pistol his father always carried on board, an unfortunate precaution for people used to sailing luxury vessels in sometimes unpredictable locales, and slowly made his way up the stairs to the salon.  
  
The salon was empty, but there was someone in the galley. Minseok crept in, gun tightly gripped in his right hand. When he spotted a mess of bleach blonde hair he exhaled in relief. It was Luhan. And then he cringed. Oh, it was ass hat.  
  
“I thought you were an intruder.” Minseok turned around, ready to return the gun to its hiding place.  
  
“Where are the fishing poles?” Luhan asked as he rummaged around in the double door refrigerator.  
  
“Why?” Minseok noticed that Luhan didn’t sound drunk, but he couldn’t rule it out. Some drunken notion involving fishing gear sounded extremely plausible.  
  
“I want to go fishing,” Luhan answered simply. He pulled out a container of bait that Minseok had somehow overlooked while scrounging around.  
  
“Now?” To emphasize his point Minseok looked up at the clock on the wall.  
  
“Yeah, it is one of the best times to fish. How soon can you have the boat ready to go?”  
  
“You want to go fishing, in _this_ boat?” Minseok cocked an eyebrow.  
  
“Yep, I don’t see why not. It is my boat after all. And you are supposed to be doing whatever I say, so.”  
  
“We never finished the game!” It was Minseok’s turn to put his hands on his hips, mimicking one of Luhan’s favorite gestures.  
  
“It ended and I was up by two points so I win. Now take me somewhere I can fish.”  
  
“Are the others coming?” Minseok glanced back towards the salon doors.  
  
“Nope, they are too drunk or don’t like to fish. Now move it.”  
  
Minseok had to admit that he was curious – if Luhan could actually fish, why he would even want to fish as opposed to spending a night in one of the resort’s clubs, and how he had decided this was a great nighttime activity. His curiosity got the better of him so he pulled on a sweatshirt and made his way to the wheelhouse.  
  
  
  
  
  
“How are Jongin and Chanyeol?” Minseok asked as he baited the fishing pole and cast it into the water with a plop.  
  
They had sailed twenty minutes into deeper water before Minseok judged the depth and location to be sufficient for fishing. Luhan had yelled for him to come and join in, and Minseok hadn’t argued. Curiosity and all.  
  
“Alive, talking. No broken bones or missing teeth.” Luhan cast his line in and leaned back against the white cushioned padding of the sundeck.  
  
“That’s good.” Minseok probably shouldn’t have brought it up, it wasn’t any of his business.  
  
Luhan grunted in agreement.  
  
“My friends, we never really fight like that.” Minseok had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, he had been up since the crack of dawn. For some reason he was sharing things with Luhan, things that were inconsequential but still little pieces of him. A simple truth about his own small group of friends.  
  
“That is because they are as boring as you,” Luhan retorted.  
  
“And your friends are jerks like you. Ah, makes so much sense now!” Minseok reeled his line in slightly, hoping the movement would spur a fish to bite.  
  
“This hasn’t been their worst fight and it probably won’t stop there. Jongin is like a ticking time bomb when it comes to certain things.” Luhan sounded so serious. “The rumors aren’t new, but he blows up any time someone so much as infers he and Kyungsoo are more than friends. Chanyeol knew better than to say that.”  
  
“Yixing seems to think they are more than friends.” Minseok recalled the conversation he had at the bar.  
  
“A lot of people do, but imagine if they aren’t. Imagine having everything you do questioned.”  
  
Luhan did have a point.  
  
“Every time they get wind of this stuff they won’t speak to each other for a few days, like they can’t stand the rumors.” Luhan sounded frustrated by it.  
  
Minseok could understand why they avoided each other. If they weren’t dating and every time they were together people assumed they were, it would be nearly impossible for their friendship to always be easy going.  
  
“I could care less, personally. Yixing came out three years ago and I was the first person he told. I mean, it was weird for all of five minutes until I remembered I was staring at my best friend and it didn’t matter to me.” Luhan looked out at the dark water. “Some of the other guys avoided him for a little while, really got to him.”  
  
“That had to have been horrible.” Minseok couldn’t imagine anyone avoiding Yixing. He seemed so… nice.  
  
“Yeah, so when Chanyeol starts in teasing Jongin, who gets pissed enough to punch you if you look at one of his dogs wrong , and it all revolves around _that_ – it brings things up for Yixing too. For all of us, kind of. It is a touchy subject.”  
  
There was a long bout of silence before Luhan blurted out a question that took Minseok aback. “So what about you?”  
  
“What about me?” Minseok asked slowly.  
  
“Do you um- do you date guys?” Luhan stared out towards the pitch dark ocean, his line somewhere below.  
  
It was a very unexpected question and Minseok wasn’t sure how to answer. He kept his response purposely vague but honest. “I don’t date anyone.”  
  
“That isn’t surprising, considering how boring you are.” Luhan shot back.  
  
“At least I am not an as-”  
  
Luhan suddenly bolted upright and began reeling in his line. “I got something!”  
  
The excitement of the catch took over, Minseok watching as Luhan fought with something. He ran and grabbed the net just in time for Luhan to reel in a midsize Rainbow Runner. It wasn’t a prize catch but very edible. Minseok had eaten it fried more than once.  
  
Shortly after Luhan brought the fish onboard, Minseok returned to the wheelhouse and started the trek back to the resort.  
  
As he navigated past the pockets of shallow water, having memorized the patches of coral that he needed to beware of, he looked up at the stars. A clear sky, what seemed like a thousand lights shining back at him.  
  
“Do you know how to clean that thing?”  
  
Minseok jumped when Luhan entered the wheelhouse.  
  
“Yeah. I can do it when we get back.”  
  
Luhan took a seat on the tan leather half sofa, near the captain’s chair.  
  
As Minseok manoeuvred the boat back towards the resort he started to wonder...why had Luhan asked the question? Why did he care who Minseok dated? Or was it small talk? Suddenly Minseok had every desire to punch himself in the face for overthinking things.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok’s desire to punch himself in the face was completely warranted, supported fully by the events of the next morning.  
  
It was departure day according to the itinerary, a three hour sail northwards to another sprawling resort, this one located on the island of Dhonakulhiin in the Haa Alifu atoll. Minseok was looking forward to the stop because the resort had a well-known marina in combination with less treacherous waters.  
  
The boys made it on the boat before noon, which was a miracle in Minseok’s opinion. He had believed at least one or two of them would probably be missing, holed up in another tourist’s villa or perhaps still in the bar. Minseok was feeling confident now that all ten of them made it, the ship was in order, and the only major complaint was from Jongdae – who had fried to a crisp the day before.  
  
“I told you about the dangers of the sun.” Junmyeon had lectured once again, his voice carrying up to the wheelhouse.  
  
Everything was going very well – until about halfway through the trip when Luhan staggered upstairs and announced that he needed to stop the boat.  
  
“What?!” Minseok looked at him like he was crazy, because really he kind of was. Stop? Why?  
  
“Remember I won the game.” Luhan seemed to think that was reason enough for Minseok to listen, he descended the stairs without listening to further protests.  
  
Minseok gritted his teeth the entire time he throttled the boat to a stop, cursing Luhan and whatever stupid reason he had for interrupting the otherwise pleasant voyage. The ass hat.  
  
When he heard a splash, Minseok decided it was time to find out what the guys were doing. He ventured down the stairs, just in time to catch a glimpse out the window of a very naked Baekhyun jumping off the skybridge and into the water.  
  
He covered his eyes with his hand and he walked onto the skybridge, entering the pack of hyenas who were currently laughing their heads off over… whatever they were doing.  
  
“Oh my god his ass is so white!” Sehun guffawed, his loud laugh echoing in Minseok’s left ear.  
  
“Did you just request we stop so you could throw your friends into the ocean naked?” Minseok already knew the answer to this, he was asking only to further validate his annoyance.  
  
“For a guy that tall I would think that your dick would be a bit bigger!” Jongin shouted, Yixing burst into laughter.  
  
“Shut up, you fuckers!” Kris yelled from somewhere below.  
  
Minseok didn’t see it coming, literally, because he had his eyes covered by his hand. When he felt someone grab his arms and start to push he jolted back as hard as he could.  
  
“Captain’s turn!” Someone yelled, he wasn’t sure who at that point because he was focused on not being tossed into the ocean.  
  
Minseok whirled around and tore himself out of the grasp of whoever held him. He didn’t even look to see how it was before he kicked, delivering a hard jab to the crotch of….  
  
“Fuck!”  
  
Luhan. He doubled over, his hands over his crotch as he hissed. “I was kidding, fuck.”  
  
Minseok launched into a string of apologies, even if Luhan had been about to throw him overboard. He patted Luhan’s back as the man worked through his pain. A few wayward claps and laughs were heard from the others, delighting in the fact their de facto leader had just had his balls kicked up to his Adam's apple.  
  
“Minseok?” Luhan gasped and tried to stand upright.  
  
“Yes?” Minseok was still concerned, the amount of pain Luhan seemed to be in.  
  
In a matter of seconds Minseok found himself thrown into the water. It was a dirty play, Luhan stood and grabbed Minseok with all his strength, tossing him overboard.  
  
Minseok sputtered and coughed, the saltwater getting in his eyes as he started to tread water.  
  
“Funny how that worked out.” Luhan served up a sinister smile as he retreated back into the salon.  
  
It was Yixing who offered Minseok a hand on getting back on board, the others doing the same for Baekhyun and Kris.  
  
“He didn’t mean anything by it,” Yixing reassured Minseok as he handed him a towel.  
  
Minseok took the towel and stormed back to the wheelhouse, not caring to get into a discussion about what Luhan meant and didn’t mean.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok was thoroughly dry by the time they reached Dhonakulhiin, though his bad mood was far from gone. It wasn’t so much the fact he had been thrown overboard, the water didn’t bother him. It was how it was done. Even if he had potentially compromised Luhan’s ability to ever have kids, it was a dirty trick to push Minseok in when he was only trying to apologize. Plus it was the memory of years before, when as a kid Luhan had done the exact same thing. Stupid Luhan. Stupid Luhan who disembarked the Jade Monkey (god Minseok hated that name) with a mixed drink in his hand and a smile on his face.  
  
Minseok fumed in the wheelhouse long after the group had disappeared into the interior of the resort. So maybe he held onto things too long, got angry and didn’t know how to let things go. Stupid Luhan. The ass hat.  
  
  
  
  
  
“I thought you would probably prefer _not_ to have Luhan be the one to drag you out of here.” Yixing scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish as he stood on the pier.  
  
Minseok had been reorganizing the lazarette when Yixing appeared and explained that he had managed to talk Luhan out of coming himself.  
  
“Why is he so interested in what I do?” Minseok snapped. He knew that he was being unnecessarily rude to someone who had only ever been nice to him, but it was hard to be sunny and happy when Luhan was once again ordering him around.  
  
“Maybe he likes you,” Yixing offered.  
  
Minseok snorted. “I highly doubt that. More like he enjoys torturing me because he sees me as the help, here to do whatever he tells me to do.”  
  
Yixing remained mum, watching Minseok as he tinkered around the stern of the boat. After a minute the Chinese man spoke up. “If it matters, everyone else really likes you.”  
  
“Thanks.” Minseok tried to sound sincere about it but he was still stuck in his rut of Luhan induced pissed off-ness.  
  
“Well, I can tell him you can’t come, that something came up on the boat,” Yixing offered.  
  
“Nah, I’m coming. Wouldn’t want to disappoint his highness. If I don’t go he probably is going to make my life even worse.” One way or another Luhan had mastered getting Minseok to do what he wanted, and it only fanned the flames, causing Minseok to feel trapped. He hated feeling trapped. Stupid Luhan. The ass hat.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok had never been to this particular resort, only the marina. He had no inkling that it was adults only – one of the few such resorts in the Maldives. This fact became abundantly clear when he traversed past a half nude beach (blushing and looking away), no less than four pool bars, and a handful of clubs that were already packed in the early afternoon. If the last resort had been a place to party, this resort was a place to engage in downright debauchery.  
  
The guys were already buzzed up when Minseok went ashore. They settled down a bit after dinner, a few of them even wandered back to their villas for a nap. It felt like everyone was getting ready for a sporting event, resting and training for a drinking marathon to far exceed any they had engaged in before. Minseok had a terrible feeling about this.  
  
He had spent the afternoon successfully avoiding talking to Luhan, instead playing volleyball with Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Junmyeon. It wasn’t the cutthroat soccer competition they had the day before, just a friendly and easygoing game.  
  
Minseok found that the longer he spent with this group the more envious he became. While Junmyeon was perpetually serious and a bit stuffy, he laughed and joked alongside Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Minseok thought perhaps Kris’s absence had something to do with his mood, since the pair seemed to absolutely loathe each other.  
  
Minseok could tell Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were old friends by the way they played around, teasing each other and keeping up the playful banter like they were the only two people on earth. Jongdae, despite his bad sunburn, was jovial and uplifted everyone’s moods the moment he opened his mouth.  
  
Minseok almost wished they were his friends. He kind of envied this. His friends back home were great, he wasn’t discounting them, but they had all gone off to school and left him behind. But even when they were in Beijing, Minseok could compare and contrast them to this group and feel like their friendship was different. These ten seemed… closer. More in sync. Perhaps money really did buy happiness. If nothing else it bought a lot of liquor and that seemed to be making everyone pretty happy.  
  
Minseok seriously considered changing his nonexistent five year plan to ‘make a lot of money and drink’.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Don’t you own anything besides t-shirts and shorts?”  
  
Minseok looked down at his clothes, then back to Luhan. He had managed to avoid him throughout dinner, eating with his new volleyball friends. Now that dinner was finished and half the guys were napping somewhere, Minseok found that Luhan had less things to keep him occupied – or his attention away from Minseok.  
  
“I am pretty sure you have been wearing those camo shorts for two days straight.” Minseok gestured towards the green patterned shorts. He felt like he had achieved a small victory when Luhan narrowed his eyes in annoyance.  
  
“We are planning on spending the night out – as in all night. I don’t need you embarrassing us.” Luhan tilted his head to the side and made it obvious as he looked Minseok up and down.  
  
“Half of the people here are in bathing suits.” Minseok was not about to bow down to a demand to change his clothes. His clothes were fine. They may not cost as much as a semester of tuition at some elite kindergarten but they did the job.  
  
“No, they aren’t.” Luhan folded his arms.  
  
“I can let you borrow some of mine if you want.” Yixing, ever helpful Yixing, butted into the conversation. “I think we are probably near the same size, mine might be a bit big on you but close enough, right?”  
  
“Yixing stay out of th-“  
  
“Thanks, I would love to borrow some of your clothes.” Yes, Minseok had only agreed to annoy Luhan. And it worked beautifully. He scowled after the two men as they made their way out of the restaurant and towards Yixing’s villa.  
  
Minseok found that Yixing’s clothes were indeed a little big on him – not terribly so to the point where he was swimming in them – but they hung a little loose. Yixing frowned at how they fit, passing Minseok a few different options through the slit in the bathroom door.  
  
“This is usually tight on me.” Yixing had handed Minseok a baby blue button down. “So it won’t be that tight on you.”  
  
It was still tight, but fit better than the other options. The shirt hugged his torso just right, not overly restricting. It accented his shoulders in a flattering way. He rolled up the sleeves and put on a pair of tan shorts he had in his own luggage. His white boat shoes rounded out the look. Or so he thought.  
  
“Let me do your hair.” Yixing stood behind Minseok. He reached up and ruffled his hair as they looked in the bathroom mirror.  
  
“Do my hair?” Minseok repeated dumbly. He hadn’t done his hair in… well… never.  
  
“Just a little bit of gel. Trust me.”  
  
Minseok trusted him and wasn’t disappointed. He really did look nice when Yixing was done, his hair styled to appear attractively messy. Which was strange, when Minseok considered it. Twenty minutes of hair gel and careful styling to get your hair to look like you had just woken up. No wonder he never did his hair.  
  
“Okay, time to go. The other guys are probably already at the club.”  
  
“Thanks for helping, I mean, for stepping in with Luhan.”  
  
“Yeah, no problem.” Yixing’s dimple flashed as he glanced at Minseok and then away again.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was after ten o’clock when the club picked up steam, the resort’s guests started to wander into the beachfront bar in droves.  
  
One of the groups consisted of people who looked to be around the same age as Minseok, Luhan, and the others. 18 or 19, definitely not older than 23 at the most. They stood out, expensive beachwear and boisterous conversations.  
  
Baekhyun approached them first, his eyes glued to a cute brunette girl who was obviously just as interested as he was. Pretty soon the groups were intermingled, talking over the loud music as they drank and danced together.  
  
The group was almost all female, with the exception of one tall guy who looked like he had walked straight off a high fashion runway. Bleached blonde hair, jewelry, and strange clothing choices that Minseok was convinced would only look good on someone who could own a potato sack if he chose to wear it.  
  
“Zitao, but you can call me Tao!” He held his hand out to Minseok and shouted the words to be heard over the music.  
  
Minseok shook his hand.  
  
“I like your shirt.”  
  
“What?”! Minseok couldn’t hear him over the thumping dance music.  
  
“I SAID I LIKE YOUR SHIRT.”  
  
“Oh, thanks. IT ISN’T MINE.” Minseok pointed towards where Yixing sat next to Luhan, the pair looking at something on Luhan’s phone. “HE LET ME BORROW IT.”  
  
Tao nodded towards Yixing, smiled, and then wandered away. Minseok breathed a sigh of relief. He was being antisocial, not making an effort to throw himself into one of the already ongoing conversations.  
  
Hanging back, sitting on the edges of the group, gave him time to people watch. He was half drunk and a bit drowsy, conversations seemed like a lot of work.  
  
Junmyeon caught his attention, his awkward steps on the dance floor hard to ignore. He had his hands on the waist of a petite blonde woman, his eyes fixed on her as he attempted some form of dirty dancing. It looked more like he was having a small seizure, Minseok thought, though his dance partner seemed not to mind.  
  
Kris was also dancing, his arms wrapped around one of the girls that had showed up to the club with Tao. Unlike Junmyeon, Kris didn’t seem particularly interested in his partner. He kept turning his head to look at Junmyeon. He was trying to be sneaky about it, Minseok thought, but it was so obvious. He made a mental note to ask Yixing or Baekhyun about it later – just what was between Kris and Junmyeon. They definitely hated each other and there had to be some reason behind it.  
  
“Y’all are wild, I swear!” A woman shouted from a table away.  
  
Minseok didn’t speak English, not beyond what he was made to learn (and then promptly forgot) in school. He could tell the blonde woman was speaking some kind of English, but with an accent that Minseok had only heard in the movies. American, southern maybe?  
  
Sehun hugged her from behind and whispered something into her ear. She started to giggle and swatted his arm playfully as she laughed.  
  
Chanyeol leaned on the long bar, fruity drink in hand as he flirted with a trio of women that had just walked in. Jongdae peeked his head around Chanyeol’s body in an attempt to partially disguise his sunburnt face. He smirked at the girls and added a comment here and there.  
  
Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Jongin were nowhere to be seen. Minseok figured they had wandered to a part of the club he couldn’t see, or maybe had even already stumbled back to their rooms.  
  
“You look drunk captain.” Luhan halted Minseok's people watching as he took a seat next to him, close enough to converse over the music.  
  
Minseok _was_ drunk. The mixture of mango, pineapple, and vodka was going down like Kool-Aid.  
  
“You look drunk too.” Minseok noticed how red Luhan’s eyes were.  
  
“I am.” Luhan grinned.  
  
“That is the only way to explain why you haven’t yelled at me yet.”  
  
“You know I can be a nice guy if you get to know me.” Luhan had some kind of imported beer, he took a swig of it as he taunted Minseok.  
  
“I doubt that.” Minseok felt free to say whatever he wanted, which in every way was spurred by his inebriation.  
  
“Fair enough, it would probably be impossible to be nice to you. You don’t listen well, you can’t dress yourself properly, and you seem to only think about what you want.” Luhan finished his words off with an angelic smile.  
  
Minseok snorted, indignent with Luhan’s description of him. “Yes, you are definitely a nice guy.” Minseok flashed a sarcastic thumbs up.  
  
“You know you are kind of cute when you smile.” Luhan leaned in.  
  
“Stop teasing me.”  
  
“I’m serious.” Luhan mimicked Minseok’s thumbs up. “You have a nice smile, and nice eyes, and a nice bu-”  
  
“I’m going to dance.” He didn’t trust himself to keep talking to Luhan and not punch the smug look off his face. Now the prick was maliciously flirting with him. Nice.  
  
Minseok wandered onto the dance floor, finding Yixing and a solo Junmyeon jumping around like idiots. He joined them, drinking and dancing and acting like a dork. The night air was warm and only increased in temperature within the club. Bodies packed together, dancing and flirting. A heady mixture of alcohol and people. Minseok knew he was drunk but he didn’t care, not when the place was so alive.  
  
He didn’t even care what time it was, or that he would probably have the worst hangover known to man the next day. He kept drinking, dancing here and there, laughing and talking.  
  
Time passed, Sehun was gone. Minseok didn’t know if he left first but he had a good idea that wherever he was the blonde woman he had been hanging off of was there too. The next person Minseok looked for but couldn’t find was Yixing.  
  
“Throwing up in the ocean.” Jongdae said as he tried his best to keep upright, sloshing some of his drink on the floor.  
  
Minseok went back to dancing, jumping up and down as he took another shot. The next time he cared to look around he found that the only people remaining were Luhan, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol. Even Tao and his posse were gone.  
  
Minseok staggered over to where Luhan sat. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were slumped together on the sofa.  
  
“If it isn’t our dancing queen.” Luhan smirked. Minseok ignored him.  
  
“Hey, did you know that your hand breathes? I mean, look at it, Yeol… it breathes.” Baekhyun jutted his hand out in front of Chanyeol’s face.  
  
“Shhh, I am having a moment.”  
  
Minseok might be drunk but he wasn’t completely out of it.  
  
“What are they talking about?” He sat down next to Luhan and watched as Baekhyun began moving his hand up and down like a heartbeat.  
  
“They took something,” Luhan muttered.  
  
“Took something?!” Minseok repeated as he stared at the two boys.  
  
“Hm. Some kind of pill, I think it was LSD.” Luhan leaned forward and eyed up his two friends. “Which is why I am going to end up spending the night watching you two instead of sleeping, you fucking pricks.”  
  
“Luhan fairy, shhhh, let me fly in peace.” Baekhyun put his lips together and blew a loud raspberry, coughing and gagging afterwards.  
  
Luhan rolled his eyes.  
  
“You are going to fly back to your villa.” Luhan stood up, stumbling a little as he moved. He was still drunk, Minseok could tell, but he was far more sober than the two guys talking about unicorns and fairies.  
  
“Can you help me get them back to a room?”  
  
Minseok nodded. He wouldn’t say no just to be petty, not about this. He was kind of afraid for the two guys. He had never taken drugs himself and had never been around anyone that had. It frightened him.  
  
“BAeeeekhyuuuunnnnnnnn!” Chanyeol called. He made a whirring noise as Luhan tugged him onto his feet. They both almost tumbled over. Minseok stopped the fall by putting his arm around Chanyeol’s back.  
  
“NO, me too!” Baekhyun reached forward. “Don’t leave me here, I need to go with youuuuu.”  
  
“Jump on my back.” Chanyeol tried to bend over and almost fell face first into the glass table in front of the club sofa. If Luhan and Minseok hadn’t had hold of him he would have ended up with his face buried in chunks of glass.  
  
Baekhyun somehow managed to get up. He was unsteady on his feet but found the strength to jump onto Chanyeol’s back and wrap his arms around the taller boy’s neck.  
  
“I won’t tell anyone you are secretly a pony,” Baekhyun whispered in Chanyeol’s ear.  
  
“Thank you,” Chanyeol answered seriously.  
  
It took three times longer than it should have to get to Chanyeol’s villa, the voyage hampered by all four men’s drunkenness on top of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s drugged-up state.  
  
Once they were finally in the villa Luhan shoved Chanyeol towards the bed, by default Baekhyun went too, both men plopping onto the soft mattress.  
  
“Now go to sleep or I will destroy the unicorns or whatever it is you are hanging out with,” Luhan ordered.  
  
Baekhyun started to protest while Chanyeol began singing a Korean children’s song.  
  
Luhan took a seat on the overstuffed white sofa. “Want something to drink? It is going to be a long night.”  
  
Minseok nodded. He was already really drunk, why not drink more. He didn’t have to sail the next day and he was beyond the point where his better judgment would kick in and tell him he had enough already.  
  
They drank expensive whiskey, stolen from the mini bar in Chanyeol’s villa. Luhan flipped on the television and they sat in silence, watching the TV as Chanyeol and Baekhyun rambled on about things neither of them could see.  
  
“Is that a cartoon?” Baekhyun asked, popping his head up from where he was laying on the bed.  
  
“It is now.” Luhan clicked the remote until a cartoon flickered on the screen. It seemed to calm Baekhyun down. When Minseok glanced back at the bed, he saw Chanyeol was already asleep.  
  
“You guys need to drink a lot of water.” Luhan got up and walked to the in-room fridge, pulling out an armful of water bottles. Minseok watched as he deposited the bottles on the bed in between his two friends.  
  
“How caring of you,” Minseok said sarcastically as Luhan sat back down.  
  
“Amazing, huh?” Luhan grabbed his drink and leaned back, settling into the plush cushions.  
  
“Kind of.”  
  
“I agree.” Luhan took a drink.  
  
“What do you mean?” Alcohol had indeed loosened Minseok’s tongue. “Because you are usually a jerk?”  
  
“No,” Luhan retorted. “Because no one ever cared for me.”  
  
Minseok burst out laughing. “Is this the moment where you tell me that you spent all your holidays with maids and butlers because your parents were too busy on holiday and didn’t care?” He slapped his knee. “Ah, poor little rich Luhan. I feel so bad for you and your millions of dollars.”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
Minseok’s laughter faded, but a smile remained on his face. Was Luhan really playing this card? He found it extremely amusing.  
  
“You have no idea what my life is like.” Luhan was angry.  
  
“Hm. I am sure I can guess. Lots of nice stuff, endless opportunities. _All the horrible things that no one would ever want like going to a nice college without having to lift a finger_.” Minseok was not going to listen to Luhan bemoan his poor life, not when he had so much more than everyone else, Minseok included.  
  
“I said shut up!” Luhan looked like he was ready to pounce.  
  
Minseok lifted his hand to his mouth and pretended like he was locking it, all while smiling in amusement.  
  
“Have you ever had your whole life laid out from birth? Have you ever been treated like another possession, a doll for people to play with and tell what to do? Never once being asked if I wanted to go into business, never once being asked what I actually like to do! Have you?!”  
  
Minseok stopped smiling. He could see that the pain was real, the way Luhan’s face contorted as he yelled, the way his eyes looked glazed when he recounted his life. And with those drunken words Minseok suddenly felt a bit sober, a bit subdued.  
  
Maybe it was because he felt the same way, at least a little. Trapped. Without choices. Sure it was completely different to be trapped in a life of wealth and expectations as compared to having a loud dad who wanted you to live your life in a wheelhouse. It wasn’t the same, but in some ways _it was_.  
  
“Sorry.” Minseok didn’t want to look at Luhan anymore; the amusement was gone, replaced with a feeling of regret.  
  
“Whatever.” Luhan went back to watching television, only moving every few minutes to look behind him and make sure his friends were still there. Baekhyun had fallen asleep, his smaller frame cuddled into Chanyeol’s side.  
  
Minseok had a desire to flee, to return to the boat and get away from his earlier misstep. It was unfortunate he was so drunk.  
  
It was unfortunate his mind was a haze, because he didn’t have the mental capacity to think about what had happened. He didn’t have the mental willpower to attempt to understand why he was feeling so guilty and why Luhan’s shifting moods, bipolar actions, and inconsistent interactions were eating at him. He felt a wave of depression and he knew it was tied to the man next to him, but why and how was a mystery.  
  
After a half an hour his eyelids started to droop, a byproduct of drinking for so long. He couldn’t stay awake for much longer.  
  
“I like that shirt on you.” So soft, Minseok thought he was dreaming it. “You look nice.”  
  
Minseok kept his eyes closed, hovering between passing out and mumbling a few drunken words.  
  
“And you don’t have to be sorry.” Luhan whispered, evidently thinking Minseok was asleep. “I don’t want to hear you say you are sorry.”  
  
In a few seconds he was too tired and intoxicated to fully digest what Luhan was saying. His world went dark.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Wakey, wakey! How was your long strange trip?!”  
  
Noise, horrible noise. Minseok clutched his forehead. His head was pounding, his mouth was bone dry, and he felt like he had been run over by a truck. He was terribly hung-over, there was no doubt about it.  
  
“Fuck off Jongin. I thought you said they weren’t that strong.”  
  
Minseok recognized Baekhyun’s voice but he was not equipped to actually sit up and witness the exchange. The only thing he felt like doing at the moment was crawling into a hole. A very dark hole full of pain medication.  
  
“So Luhan, how bad were they?” It was Kyungsoo.  
  
“Bad. Complete morons, no thanks to you guys. Next time you buy drugs can you please not give it to the two guys who already act like they are on something ninety percent of the time?”  
  
Kyungsoo laughed, another noise to make Minseok burrow into whatever he was sleeping on.  
  
“Hey dumbass, those were vitamins. You realize that you were tripping on vitamin A, right?”  
  
Jongin and Kyungsoo laughed.  
  
“What are you talking about?” Chanyeol sounded half asleep.  
  
“Payback for being a douche-bag. Nice to know vitamin A can work as a hallucinogen if you believe hard enough.”  
  
Kyungsoo started singing “I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky” as Jongin dissolved into a fit of laughter. Luhan started yelling at Jongin and Kyungsoo while Baekhyun did the same. Kyungsoo shouted at Baekhyun, “Sorry, it was meant for Chanyeol,” and the effect of so many people laughing and shouting at once was painful. It was too loud, too soon.  
  
“CAN YOU ALL SHUT UP? MY HEAD IS POUNDING!” Minseok fell back into the sofa, the sound of his own voice grating on him.  
  
“NO,” Luhan yelled back, and then returned to scolding his friends.  
  
Minseok hated his life somedays.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok dragged himself back to the boat around noon, every step more painful than the last.  
  
He was close, oh so close to the boat when he heard someone call his name. He stopped walking but couldn’t muster a response.  
  
“Minseok, come meet our pet!”  
  
Minseok opened his eyes a slit, enough to be able to see Jongdae and Yixing standing near the shore. He stumbled over to them.  
  
“See!” Jongdae pointed into the water. Minseok could see a form swimming around. “He follows us along the shore, even lets us feed him.”  
  
Jongdae sounded ecstatic about it.  
  
“Jongdae wants to name him Aqua Bob Square pants.” Yixing chuckled.  
  
“That is so great. I need to um, go. Have fun with your pet.” Minseok staggered back to the boat.  
  
Once inside he collapsed onto his bunk and resolved to never drink again. He laid with his hand over his eyes for what seemed like hours. He finally stirred when he heard the click of the salon door closing.  
  
He attempted to get out of bed but immediately regretted it. He felt dizzy and weak. With a defeated groan he returned to his bed.  
  
“Don’t worry, I have the cure.” Luhan appeared in the doorway of Minseok’s cabin. He held up a tote bag.  
  
Minseok retreated back to his pillows as Luhan pulled out a plastic bowl.  
  
“What are you doing?” Minseok groaned.  
  
“Stopping your hangover. I figured it was the least I could do since I am the one who insisted you drink with us.”  
  
“Why are you being so nice?” Minseok didn’t like it, he felt like there was a catch.  
  
“I said I was a nice guy when you get to know me.” Luhan opened a plastic spoon and tossed the clear wrapper in the cabin’s small garbage can.  
  
“Did you poison it?”  
  
“No, I didn’t think you were worth going to prison over.”  
  
Minseok took the dish from Luhan’s hands. It was a steaming bowl of… something Minseok had never eaten before. “What is it?”  
  
“An island secret.” Luhan winked. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Minseok took the first bite. “How does it taste?”  
  
“Good, but are you sure you didn’t poison it? Why are you watching me eat? It’s creepy.” Minseok found the entire situation a bit strange. Luhan bringing him soup because he cared?  
  
“You look nice when you eat.” Luhan suddenly looked away. “I mean, like you make me hungry. You make it look so good. Anyway, enjoy your soup. See you around.”  
  
Luhan left in a hurry. Minseok sat, propped up in bed, and finished the soup. With every bite he dissected just what Luhan had meant and why he was being so nice.  
  
  
  
  
  
He slept in the next day, waking up to the sound of gulls circling overhead. He felt much better, even stomaching breakfast without gagging. The soup that Luhan had brought the night before had cured him of his massive hangover.  
  
The day flew by as he tinkered around the boat. Periodically it would occur to him that Luhan hadn’t been by to order him around or even show his rare nice side…how strange. He decided to savor the fact, eventually able to forget to even wonder what was taking him so long.  
  
When he awoke the next morning without a glass of water in the face or an angry blonde man demanding him to get up, he started to worry. Perhaps they had all drank themselves to death? Perhaps Luhan had finally learned how not to be a demanding prick? He dismissed the second option for the first; some things were just too difficult to believe.  
  
After a solid three hours of debate – constantly changing his mind if it was actually appropriate for him to go ashore– Minseok stepped off the boat and onto the pier.  
  
Somewhere in the back of his mind was an unwelcome truth that he was going because he wanted to see Luhan. He didn’t want to entertain the idea, however, so he buried the thought behind other excuses.  
  
I just need to check on them, Minseok repeated. Plus, I’ve already been to the resort; it isn’t like I wasn’t invited.  
  
Minseok had a good idea of the layout of the area, having traversed the semi nude beach, walked past most of the clubs and restaurants, and been to two different villas during his one day on the island.  
  
As he neared the semi nude beach he was on the lookout for a path to circumvent the place, because honestly it embarrassed him. In his nineteen years he never had to get used to walking amidst half naked people and he wasn’t sure his body would react the way he wanted it to. A surprise erection at a luxury resort in the Maldives was not his idea of a good time.  
  
He couldn’t find another way towards the interior of the resort. With no other options he raised his hand to shield his eyes, put his head down, and stalked across the beach. He was halfway to the path towards the restaurants when someone called his name.  
  
Minseok instinctively turned to see who it was and immediately wished he hadn’t. It was Yixing, waving and smiling. That wasn’t the problem. Luhan was the problem. Luhan _and a girl_? was the problem. He had his head resting on her lap, which was the only part of her body that was clothed.  
  
Minseok blinked, unable to look away. He knew the others were sitting there too. Sehun and the blonde woman he had been hanging on at the club. Jongdae, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, and Jongin. Tao was there as well. But he didn’t care, not when his entire body stiffened at the sight of Luhan.  
  
He didn’t even know why he was angry, but he was. Minseok turned around and marched back towards the boat, fists clenched and mouth set in straight line. So Luhan had forgotten about him. So Luhan had dragged him around, yelled at him, played nice, and then forgotten he existed.  
  
Minseok dismissed logic - that Luhan shouldn’t remember him.  
  
“Hey, are you okay?” Yixing jogged over, attempting to keep pace with Minseok’s furious strides.  
  
“Yep.” Minseok huffed.  
  
“Do you need anything?”  
  
“No.” Minseok didn’t need a thing. Except maybe to set ass hat on a piece of driftwood and point him towards the next current that would drag him out to sea.  
  
“I was planning on coming to see you today. I was wondering if you were bored.” Yixing let out an awkward chuckle.  
  
“I’m fine.”  
  
“Oh, well that is… good.”  
  
Minseok grunted.  
  
“Can you stop for a second?” Yixing held his arm out in front of Minseok, blocking his path forward.  
  
“What is it?” Minseok snapped.  
  
“Something is definitely wrong, stop lying to me.” Yixing removed his arm, confident Minseok would stay put for the time being. “If I did anything please tell me.”  
  
“It wasn’t you.” Minseok told the truth.  
  
“Fine, then what is it? Minseok, you can talk to me. I know we haven’t known each other very long but I want you to trust me.”  
  
Minseok pursed his lips. How could he tell Yixing what was wrong when he didn’t even know. It had just happened. Seeing Luhan… the anger… the sick feeling that coursed through him that defied reason. He was upset that Luhan had forgotten about him, but why? Why would that matter when he hated Luhan? He hated him… right?  
  
It was a continuation of the confusion Luhan had caused him since day one. Luhan shifted from being nice to shouting out orders to taking care of his friends to being kind to him – it was infuriating. Minseok wanted to pull his hair out he was so frustrated. What was happening, why - why was this happening?  
  
“I don’t know what is wrong.” Minseok closed his eyes in an attempt to shut everything out. He needed to calm down and think.  
  
“Maybe you’re hungry. Have you eaten lately?”  
  
Yixing and his simplistic logic. When Minseok said no, he wasn’t given a choice, Yixing dragged him down another path (one that Minseok had missed on his way to the beach). It was a quick walk to one of the resort’s restaurants.  
  
They ate a late lunch, and while Minseok still felt on edge he started to relax. Yixing didn’t bring up the incident at the beach and Minseok was grateful for it. Instead he launched into a story of his last vacation, an exhausting month in the Swiss Alps with his parents during summer break.  
  
Before long Minseok was laughing, hanging on every words as Yixing described how horribly he skied even if he had been forced to take expensive lessons for a year before the trip.  
  
“I want to go fishing.”  
  
Like most things over the last seven days, everything turned dark and dreary the moment Luhan appeared. He sat down at the table and stared at Minseok.  
  
“Now? Just you?” Minseok questioned.  
  
“Yeah, now. Yes just me. Or were you two in the middle of something important?”  
  
“No.” Yixing stood up and pushed his chair back. “I was planning on heading back to the beach soon. Thanks for eating with me, Minseok.”  
  
Minseok wanted to reach out and pull Yixing back, anything to stop him from having to spend a few hours in Luhan’s company. He didn’t feel like being confused right now, he didn’t feel like having Luhan mess with his emotions any more than he already had.  
  
“Come on, the clock is ticking. You wouldn’t want me to tell my father how you neglect your duties, would you?” Luhan tapped a finger on his watch.  
  
Minseok gritted his teeth. It was going to be a long afternoon.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok had one foot on the deck, about to board, when it happened.  
  
“There’s the fucker.” A very tall, very angry looking man was stalking down the pier, yelling curse words in Mandarin.  
  
Minseok watched in confusion as he realized the man had his sights set on Luhan.  
  
“Think you can fuck another man’s girl, huh?” The man shouted.  
  
Luhan put his hands up and rambled off an explanation. “I didn’t fuck her, she was flirting with me.”  
  
“Right, which is why you were laying on her lap.”  
  
The first punch hit Luhan square in the nose. The second was to the gut, landed before Minseok could properly react. Luhan doubled over, falling to his knees.  
  
Minseok put all of his strength into his action, bolting towards the man and pushing him. The man staggered back, nearly falling in the water. Once he regained his footing he swung, but Minseok was faster. He avoided the punch and landed a swift kick to the man’s groin. It dropped him instantly.  
  
“Unless you want to be taken to court by one of the richest men in China I suggest you get the fuck out of here before I call security,” Minseok spat. He gave the man a shove for emphasis.  
  
“Fuck off.” So pleasantries were clearly not this man’s strong point.  
  
“Give me your phone.” Minseok held his hand out to Luhan. “I’m going to have him arrested.”  
  
The threat of action did the trick. The stranger staggered to his feet and retreated as quickly as he had come.  
  
“Let me see.” Minseok kneeled in front of Luhan and urged him to lift his head. He could see blood on Luhan’s t-shirt, dripping onto the pristine white deck.  
  
Luhan lifted his face. Blood was pouring out of his nose. Minseok thought it would be a miracle if it wasn’t broken.  
  
“We need to call the resort doctor.” Minseok saw the bulge of Luhan’s cell phone in his right front pocket and reached for it.  
  
“N-n-no,” Luhan gasped. “No doctor.”  
  
“You have to see a doctor, your nose might be broken.” Minseok reached again.  
  
“No, please. No doctor.” Luhan sounded like he was out of breath. “I- I”  
  
Minseok noticed he was shaking. Could he be internally injured from the punch to the stomach?  
  
“I – “ Luhan gasped. “Pills, I need my pills.”  
  
“What pills?” Minseok put his hands on Luhan’s shoulders. “What do you need?”  
  
“Back in my – my- my room.” He was hyperventilating.  
  
“Luhan, this is crazy, you need to see a doctor.”  
  
“No!” It was a cry, tears started streaming down the blonde boy’s cheeks as he protested.  
  
Minseok didn’t know what to do, but he needed to do something or Luhan would pass out. His chest was rising quickly, he was panicking.  
  
“Fine, I’ll get your pills. But you need to go inside and put something on your nose. Can you do that?”  
  
Luhan nodded.  
  
Minseok helped him into the salon, instructing Luhan to bunch up his shirt and hold it over his nose while they walked. After confirming where in Luhan’s room the pills were he left, running as quickly as he could to find them.  
  
  
  
  
  
It would have helped if he had asked what villa Luhan was staying in, but that didn’t occur to Minseok until he was wandering around the row of identical accommodations, completely lost. He remembered where Yixing was staying- maybe Luhan’s would be close by.  
  
On a normal day Minseok would break into a cold sweat at the thought of knocking on a villa door, blood on his shirt, and a vague idea of what he needed slipping from his mouth. But today was not a normal day. Whatever was wrong with Luhan seemed serious.  
  
Minseok spotted someone walking around one of the villas. He recognized the blonde hair and long legs. Kris. Thanking his good fortune for having run into at least one of Luhan’s friends, Minseok followed after him.  
  
He ducked around the corner of the villa, question on the tip of his tongue when he stopped.  
  
The person he had followed was Kris. _But he wasn’t alone_.  
  
Standing on the deck, his back to Minseok, was another man. A man who was currently sucking a mark into Kris’s neck, his hands on the taller man’s abs as he bucked his hips. It was Junmyeon. How in the fuck was it Junmyeon? The last time Minseok remembered they hated each other with a passion.  
  
“Minseok?!” Kris opened his eyes and promptly pushed Junmyeon away.  
  
Junmyeon turned around and paled at the sight of the captain.  
  
“I, um. Where is Luhan’s villa? It is kind of important.”  
  
“Number 25.” Junmyeon looked terrified. “Minseok, uh – listen could-“  
  
“I didn’t see a thing.” Minseok backed away. He would have time later to try to digest what he witnessed, for now he needed to get Luhan his medication.  
  
He found the pills in the nightstand drawer, a red plastic bottle with a pharmacy label plastered on the side. Once he had the pills in hand he ran back to the boat at record speed, worried he would find Luhan passed out or worse, find out that the injury was more extensive than he thought.  
  
Much to his relief he found Luhan very much awake, though still bleeding. He sat at the dining table, his breathing still rapid. Minseok pushed the pills towards him and ran to the galley to fetch water. When he set the water bottle down in front of Luhan the boy had already popped a pill into his mouth.  
  
After giving Luhan water, Minseok fetched the medical kit from the wheelhouse. He had taken a few first aid courses in school, hopefully he remembered enough of them.  
  
Luhan’s breathing steadied as Minseok went to work cleaning the blood from his face, carefully pressing fresh gauze below Luhan’s nose to catch the dripping blood.  
  
“He had a good right hook,” Minseok muttered as he finished wiping away the blood on Luhan’s cheek.  
  
Luhan didn’t come back with a snarky comment.  
  
“Is everything alright? How do you feel?”  
  
“I need to lie down.” Luhan sounded fatigued.  
  
“Do you want to go back to your villa?”  
  
“No, no.” Luhan shook his head. He held the gauze in place as he vehemently refused the idea. “I don’t want the others to see me. Just - I will lay down in my cabin.”  
  
Minseok helped him down the stairs, holding his arm as they moved towards the cabins. Luhan was still shaking, Minseok felt each tremor. It was frightening. Minseok had no idea what to do to make it go away.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was half past six when Baekhyun and Yixing stopped by the boat. Minseok had been sitting in Luhan’s room. He had snuck in after the boy had fallen asleep, setting up watch in one of the side chairs. He knew it was kind of creepy but he was too freaked out that Luhan would stop breathing to let him be.  
  
When Minseok heard the salon doors open he rushed upstairs.  
  
“How was fishing?” Baekhyun plopped down on the tan leather sofa.  
  
“Um, well.” Minseok wasn’t sure if he should tell them. He had a feeling that Luhan might not want people to know about the attack he had, the reason he had to take medication. But who else but Luhan’s friends would know what to do? Minseok decided to take a chance, willing to face Luhan’s wrath later.  
  
“He was in a fight. Nothing is broken but he had some kind of attack, like hyperventilating and shaking.”  
  
“Does he need his medication? Where is he?!” Yixing looked around, clearly concerned.  
  
“I got his medication, he is sleeping in his room right now.”  
  
Yixing relaxed. “Thank god.”  
  
“He hasn’t had an attack in months,” Baekhyun muttered.  
  
“Look, it probably isn’t any of my business but what is that medication for? What happened to him?” Minseok had no right asking the question, he knew it. But he wanted to know.  
  
“I can’t say. Sorry but you will have to ask him yourself.” Yixing patted Minseok’s shoulder. “But thanks for taking care of him. If he wakes up don’t tell him we were by, he doesn’t like people knowing when he has an incident.”  
  
Minseok agreed to stay silent for the second time that day. Yixing and Baekhyun departed, leaving Minseok to wonder just how many more secrets this group of friends possessed.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok watched the sun rise from the sky deck. He hugged his knees to his chest, his favorite grey sweatshirt wrapped tightly around him to keep him warm in the early morning chill. In a place so near the equator the mornings could still be cold.  
  
It was peaceful early in the morning, the sea calm and the resort quiet. Minseok appreciated the silence and took advantage of it. When the world was quiet he could think. Inevitably his mind wanted to dissect one topic only: Luhan.  
  
The boy who yelled and acted tough but fell to his knees, shaking and crying. The boy who went from calling his friends curse words to caring for them when they couldn’t care for themselves. The boy who ordered Minseok around and then brought him soup – after telling him he was cute. The boy who seemed to creep into Minseok’s thoughts day and night, no matter how much Minseok wanted otherwise.  
  
Did he still hate him? No, he didn’t. He knew he didn’t hate Luhan, at least not the way that he defined hatred. But did he like him and in _what_ way - that was the question that was eating at Minseok when his reverie came to an end.  
  
Luhan found him, alone in the early morning light.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Minseok hadn’t slept that night. He was too worried about Luhan to fall into a restful state. He had calmed down a bit, eventually forgoing staring at Luhan’s sleeping form. He exchanged staring for pacing the wheelhouse until the sun began to peek above the horizon.  
  
“How are you feeling?” Luhan was already sporting purple and blue around his nose and under his eyes, a nasty bruise marring his face.  
  
“Okay.” Luhan sat down next to Minseok. He adopted the same posture as he dragged his bare feet across the white cushions of the deck.  
  
A nearby yacht was departing the marina, its bow turning towards the rising sun. They watched the boat for a few minutes, not talking, not discussing what had occurred the day before.  
  
It was Luhan who brought it up first.  
  
“I am sure you had a good laugh about my attack.”  
  
Luhan’s statement couldn’t be further from the truth.  
  
“No. I didn’t.” Minseok relaxed his legs, letting his hands fall behind him for support. “I was scared.”  
  
Luhan snorted.  
  
“I was!” Minseok insisted. “Luhan, what was that? What are the pills for?”  
  
He didn’t answer right away. When he did his tone was even, almost emotionless. Like he had said it far too many times before. “The psychiatrist said I have a panic disorder. My parents disagree.”  
  
“So the pills calm you down?”  
  
“Yeah.” Luhan nodded. “It used to be a lot worse; I would get them every day, almost every hour. I rarely have attacks anymore, but when I do they are worse than when I used to have them all the time. Like it all builds up or something.”  
  
Minseok could be high strung, but not to the point of almost passing out. Looking at Luhan and knowing he had been through that, still went through that, made Minseok feel a measure of pity for him.  
  
“Thanks for getting me my pills,” Luhan mumbled.  
  
“Yeah. No problem. I mean, it was the least I could do after someone _finally_ did what I have been waiting to do myself,” Minseok teased.  
  
Luhan’s mouth dropped open for a split second before he broke into a smile. He punched Minseok’s arm playfully. “You liked it when he punched me, didn’t you?!”  
  
“Maybe.” Minseok liked the way Luhan looked when he smiled, when he laughed, when he was amused. Seeing him somber was unnerving and uncomfortable.  
  
“I should have known. You probably only stepped in so _you_ could be the one to kill me later.” Luhan chuckled.  
  
“You are correct.” Minseok wasn’t sure why seeing Luhan happy made him happy. A cause and effect he wasn’t ready to understand, another oddity to add to the growing list.  
  
  
  
  
  
Luhan didn’t return to his villa that morning, or that afternoon. He stayed on the boat, lounging about the sundeck until he declared the sun was too intense, then relocating to the salon to watch satellite television. For the most part he stayed out of Minseok’s way as the captain went about his work, checking the engine and running diagnostic scans on the boat to insure everything was working properly.  
  
Minseok guessed that Luhan didn’t want to explain his bruises or his absence – yet – which is why he stayed. As he went about his work he wondered if Luhan was embarrassed about it all, because clearly his friends were aware of it - but that didn’t guarantee it was something he liked them knowing.  
  
Clearly his family was not accepting of his condition. He had said his parents didn’t believe he had a panic disorder. Did he have to keep his medication a secret from them?  
  
The few times Minseok walked past the salon, or peeked out onto the sundeck, he found his chest tightening at the thought. Luhan, who was so brash, was more fragile than he let on. It was sad in a strangely endearing way.  
  
It occurred to Minseok that feeling pity for Luhan might be the wrong emotion, the least appropriate way to approach what the other was going through. Through the day the feelings of pity morphed into a melancholy feeling.  
  
  
  
  
  
When dinner time rolled around, Luhan suggested they go onshore. “We can get something to eat at the small café on the beach.”  
  
“You can go, I’ll stay here.” Minseok had learned that going onshore only complicated things – played with his emotions and made him question things.  
  
He didn’t hate having Luhan on the boat all day, in fact he had found some relief in it. The night before had been so frightening that having Luhan near was reassuring. But going onshore with him, that wasn’t something Minseok wanted to do. Not after the wave of anger that had him stalking from the beach the day before. It was safer on the boat, much safer.  
  
“But I said we are going to eat.” A punch on the nose had not cured Luhan of his bossiness.  
  
“I said I want to stay on the boat,” Minseok argued.  
  
“Fine.” It was the only time Minseok had witnessed Luhan give in and it felt strange. Foreboding even.  
  
A few minutes later, the teenager marched from the boat, leaving Minseok behind. A half an hour later, Luhan returned with a tray of food.  
  
“I learned to compromise,” Luhan explained before Minseok could question him on it.  
  
Minseok picked at his dinner, his mind full of dangerous and unwanted thoughts.  
  
After dinner Minseok found himself partaking in a mini movie marathon courtesy of a stack of blu rays that Luhan retrieved from his luggage. They watched half a dozen wushu movies, one after another. Luhan liked to talk during movies and so did Minseok, playful banter flowing freely as hero after hero fought his way through a tale of treachery with his sword. Somehow Minseok managed to stay awake, despite being up for so long.  
  
During more than one fight scene Minseok stole a glance, watching Luhan in all of his excitement. Luhan mirrored the emotions on the screen, a fascinating play of expressions Minseok couldn’t look away from. Luhan, he had to admit, was good looking. Very good looking.  
  
“This is fun.” Minseok blurted out as the credits rolled on the sixth film.  
  
“Wow, who would have thought you would ever have fun hanging out with me?” Luhan winked.  
  
Minseok felt a knot form in his stomach. Was he starting to like Luhan?  
  
  
  
  
  
“I told you about the coral – and the triggerfish!” Junmyeon wagged his finger in Jongin and Sehun’s faces.  
  
Minseok had been inundated that morning by the two 18 year olds running towards the boat with Junmyeon following close behind. When Minseok made eye contact with Junmyeon, he looked away for a second, clearly remembering Minseok had seen him with Kris.  
  
“You guys need to go to the resort doctor,” Minseok instructed them after they asked for the first aid kit.  
  
“So they can call my parents and tell them I was treated? No, thanks.” Sehun held out his foot. “Bandage me up, captain.”  
  
Sehun’s cut was fairly minor, a slice from a coral piece on the bottom of his foot. Jongin, however, had definite teeth marks on his arm.  
  
“Jongdae and Yixing said Aqua Bob Square pants was friendly.” He pouted.  
  
“Wait, that is from their pet?!” Minseok hadn’t gotten a close look at the fish the day Yixing called him to the shoreline. “Do they know that they are feeding the most vicious animal in the Maldives?”  
  
Jongin shrugged. Minseok sighed, hoping that no one would have a finger taken off by the creature.  
  
Junmyeon rambled on about how he had told-them-so while Minseok bandaged him up.  
  
“Is Luhan around?” Sehun peeked around the salon and looked towards the sky deck.  
  
“He’s asleep.” Minseok snapped the plastic lid of the medical kit shut.  
  
“He slept here?” Junmyeon narrowed his eyes.  
  
“Yeah, we were um, watching movies.”  
  
“Hm, right. You know I was watching movies with Daisy last night and it was tons of fun… _really felt good_.”  
  
“Morning.” Luhan picked a fine time to wake up, staggering from his cabin below. His blonde hair was a mess, his grey t-shirt was full of wrinkles, and his face was a little swollen. Minseok had to stop himself from staring.  
  
Minseok remembered one of his friends in high school gushing the day after he saw his girlfriend’s bare face for the first time. Minseok had called him crazy. How could you find someone the most attractive when they were the least styled, at their most natural state?  
  
Someday he would need to call his friend and apologize, because he now knew exactly what he was talking about. He had found Luhan attractive before, but this just wasn’t fair.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Do you want to go to one of the clubs tonight?”  
  
Minseok threw the refrigerator door open, nearly smacking Luhan in the head in the process. The morning had turned into the early afternoon, dinner time had come and went, and Minseok had found that his early morning appreciation of Luhan’s looks had morphed into a fascination, leaving him terrified he would be caught staring.  
  
He had been in the middle of a long look, specifically debating how a guy had such long eyelashes, when Luhan asked the question.  
  
“Out? Yes, sure, we can go out!” Minseok blurted, realizing too late what he had agree to.  
  
“Everyone is probably wondering if I am still alive.” Luhan chuckled but it sounded uncomfortable and forced. Minseok knew he was embarrassed.  
  
A few hours later, Minseok let Luhan drag him from the boat and into one of the bars.  
  
Minseok stole Junmyeon’s tactic and drank water all night. He didn’t trust himself to get drunk and keep his mouth shut around Luhan. Minseok’s inner turmoil would be a thousand times worse if he drunkenly confessed his attraction.  
  
Yixing seemed to sense Minseok’s mood.  
  
“Hey, do you need to talk about anything?”  
  
“No!” Minseok was really failing at being subtle these days.  
  
Yixing laughed. “Really, because it seems like something is bothering you.”  
  
Minseok spent ten seconds debating what, if anything he should say. Yixing had always seemed like a good person, but he did happen to be Luhan’s best friend. If Minseok started rambling off his strange attraction - mixing in “he is sooo good looking but kind of a jerk so” - he was unsure of the reception.  
  
“Is it Luhan?” Yixing nodded to where Luhan was sitting, showing Tao something on his phone.  
  
Minseok nodded.  
  
“Come on.” Yixing gestured for Minseok to follow. He grabbed his water and walked out of the club, following Yixing to an outside seating area.  
  
Once they were both sitting down Yixing prompted him. “Spill it. You like him, don’t you?”  
  
“What?”! Okay, so he hadn’t expected Yixing to be that blunt.  
  
“I said, you like him. I can tell. I think he likes you too,” Yixing cheerfully explained.  
  
“I feel like we are on a really poorly written teen soap opera right now.” Minseok cringed. It was all so tacky.  
  
“Don’t change the subject.” Yixing leaned in, waiting for Minseok to finally confess.  
  
“Does Luhan even like guys?” Minseok quirked an eyebrow. He hadn’t seen any indication that Luhan liked anything other than himself and the occasional bout of flirting with topless women. Maybe that is why despite being hung up on his burgeoning attraction to the man he wasn’t going to delve head first into a crush. Not when there was no hope.  
  
There were so many other things to consider if Minseok was going to admit it to himself, admit something beyond base attraction. So many differences, hurtles, and outright impossibilities to face if this thing, whatever it was, went beyond appreciating another person’s looks. In a lot of ways Minseok didn’t want it to go beyond that because he wasn’t sure he could handle it. Hell, he couldn’t even figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up, how was he supposed to be mature enough to approach a relationship?  
  
“He’s bi.” Yixing whispered, “He dated a guy once, a couple years ago.”  
  
“Oh.” What he really meant was GDI ass hat for not only being attractive but also theoretically available.  
  
“You know, from the moment I met you I thought you guys would make a good match.” Yixing sounded smug.  
  
“What?” The first time Yixing had met him it was in the airplane, when Luhan had been trashed and yelled at him. “The first time we met Luhan yelled at me.”  
  
“Because you didn’t put up with his crap. That is what he needs, someone who isn’t going to fall at his feet.”  
  
Minseok could assure Yixing there was no way he would ever fall at Luhan’s feet. He might have grown bizarrely fond of Luhan but he was never one to bow down to another person’s whims, not entirely, not without a fight.  
  
“There you are.” Luhan stood on the path leading back to the club, his feet bare and a drink in his hand. “I was curious where you two got off to.”  
  
“We were talking,” Yixing answered. “ _Privately_.”  
  
Luhan looked miffed. “Sorry to interrupt.” He turned on his heels and stalked off.  
  
Minseok cast Yixing a wide eyed look. “What in the hell was that all about?”  
  
“I want you to tell me more, naturally you aren’t going to with Luhan around.”  
  
Simple, to the point Yixing. Minseok appreciated his friendship but not the havoc that it wrought. When they returned to the club a half an hour later, Minseok having given short answers and a lot of ‘I don’t knows’, Luhan was gone.  
  
“He left, looked pissed about something,” Kris reported when Minseok asked where Luhan went.  
  
Great. Wonderful. The ass hat.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sehun was crying, though Minseok thought it would be more accurately described as dramatic weeping. He held Daisy to him, her face buried in his chest. It looked like he was smothering the poor girl as he bemoaned their separation.  
  
“You’ll see her again, hold it together dude.” Tao had to separate the pair, giving Daisy a fond ruffle to her hair as he boarded the boat.  
  
Luhan had informed Minseok that morning they had one new passenger. Tao would be accompanying them for the rest of the voyage, which probably had a lot to do with his ability to attract girls plus his taste for expensive merchandise and fine booze. He fit in perfectly.  
  
Their next destination was Rangali Island in the Alif Dhaal Atoll, a four hour voyage. They were visiting a resort on the island, albeit a smaller, more exclusive one than then the prior two they had partied at. Their plan was to stay there for seven nights before heading out to their final destination, a private island that was owned by the Lu family. As far as private islands went it was rather primitive (which made Minseok laugh when his father had described it that way. It was a private island, how primitive could owning a private island be?!).  
  
The family had yet to build a home there, or outfit the sandy white island with the luxuries they were acclimated to – plumbing, electricity, wireless. In that way it was primitive. It surprised Minseok that it was on the itinerary. Apparently the rich kids wanted to rough it for a night, spending their time in tents as they pissed behind palm trees. How quaint.  
  
Minseok hadn’t spoken to Luhan since he stormed out of the club the night before – other than to hear that Tao was joining them. Luhan seemed angry, Minseok was confused, and Yixing acted blissfully unaffected by the whole thing as he greeted Minseok with a friendly hug.  
  
Minseok had stayed at the club for another hour after Luhan left, mostly so he could finish a conversation with Jongdae about the finer merits of their favorite fried chicken restaurant. When he returned to the boat he found himself conflicted, confused, and slightly annoyed by the Luhan situation. He threw himself onto his bunk and attempted to forget about the situation, at least for the night.  
  
Brushing his Luhan problems aside, Minseok focused on the voyage. The four hour journey was uneventful, no interruptions aside from a strange yelling match Kris and Junmyeon got into over the calorie content of Cheetos. Minseok would really have to remember to find out more about them, now that he knew… well, what did he know? Apparently, they liked to kiss each other when no one was watching.  
  
The ship was securely docked when the satellite phone in the wheelhouse rang. It wasn’t usual for people to call the boat – unless it was the owner or a company hired to do maintenance on the vessel. Minseok answered formally just in case it was the owner.  
  
“Dad?” Minseok hadn’t been expecting to hear from his father.  
  
“How’s the job?”  
  
Minseok was certain he hadn’t called to ask him how it was going, but answered any way. “I haven’t punched Luhan if that is what you are asking.”  
  
“I saw the doctor today and it looks like I need to go in for surgery, said my leg isn’t healing right. Minseok, I may be out of commission for longer than I originally thought.”  
  
So that is why he had called. “How long?”  
  
“They think there are some torn tendons on top of the broken bone. If arthritis sets in, I might not be able to walk without a limp and walking at all will be months away.”  
  
“You want me to pick up all your jobs until then.” Minseok knew he should have said something else, something caring like ‘oh no, I am sorry to hear that, are you okay’. But first and foremost was the fact his Dad was calling him for work.  
  
“Minseok, you know our money situation isn’t the best…”  
  
So it was up to him now? It was his fault that his father hadn’t put money away when he could have, it was apparently his fault that his father spent more than he made and sucked at planning for the future.  
  
“What if I don’t want to?”  
  
“Then I hope you like not having a house. Fuck, don’t be moody about this now. Do you think I want to be laid up and unable to work?”  
  
“No, but do you think I want to have no choice but to do what you are telling me too? Did you ever consider that maybe I don’t want to do this for a living?”  
  
“Then what are you going to do? You haven’t done shit that would pay you nearly as well as this. Minseok, be reasonable.”  
  
“Who’s taking care of you while you are laid up?” Minseok changed the subject, avoiding a blowout argument.  
  
“Miss Kim offered.” The woman from the convenience store, how expected.  
  
Minseok muttered a good luck before hanging up. He didn’t even bother asking about the next sailing or if he would have to take the Jade Monkey (god he hated that name) back to Shanghai.  
  
“Fuck.” He glared at the control panel. So maybe he was being a brat. His dad was right, he hadn’t done anything else useful, and he had no other way to make money. And hadn’t his dad supported him his whole life? It was right for him to take a turn at helping his father.  
  
Yet…  
  
“Fuck.” He threw himself into the captain’s chair, frustrated at his own inability to do… well, anything other than the one thing he didn’t want to do.  
  
“Something wrong?” It was Luhan.  
  
“No,” Minseok snapped.  
  
“Sounds like it.” Minseok heard him walk across the hardwood floors of the wheelhouse.  
  
“What do you want?” Luhan was talking to him again which meant he must be there to bark out an order.  
  
“Time to go, we ar-“  
  
“Don’t you guys drink enough?” Minseok cut him off. “Or is alcoholism something for rich people to be proud of?”  
  
Minseok had expected to be yelled at, he had not expected to be yanked from the wheelhouse and dragged onto the pier.  
  
“Hey, let go!” He tried to free his arm from Luhan’s grasp but he couldn’t.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Luhan, stop!” Minseok yanked his hand away with enough force to free himself. Luhan spun around, hands on his hips.  
  
“Would you go if Yixing dragged you?” Luhan narrowed his eyes at Minseok.  
  
Minseok huffed. What in the hell was he talking about? “I don’t like being dragged by anyone, what in the hell does Yixing have to do with it?!”  
  
“You like him, don’t you?” Luhan accused.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“Don’t fuck around with me. I saw you last night.”  
  
“Yeah, you did. And then you stormed out like some maniac.” Minseok didn’t want to talk about _this_ , whatever _this_ was, at the moment. Not when he was already pissed off after the call with his dad.  
  
Luhan snorted. “Like a maniac? Right, you flirt with me half the time and then end up having drinks on the beach with my best friend!” Luhan was yelling, Minseok looked around, embarrassed and afraid someone had heard. The other guys weren’t on the pier, they must have already walked into the interior of the island.  
  
“I haven’t been flirting with you and you are a bigger idiot than I originally thought if you got that impression. Plus, what have you been doing?” Minseok rambled through gritted teeth, hoping no one could hear him. “Fucking bringing me dinner? Dragging me around? What the fuck is that about?”  
  
“I hate you!” Luhan shouted.  
  
“I hate you too!” Minseok stomped his foot.  
  
“You are so frustrating!” Luhan stomped his foot, like he was trying to one up Minseok.  
  
“So are you!” Minseok jabbed his finger in Luhan’s face.  
  
“Fuck!” Luhan screamed the word then moved forward before Minseok could react. His hands grabbed Minseok’s waist and yanked him forward.  
  
A surprised sound escaped Minseok’s lips, instantly muffled as Luhan captured Minseok’s mouth in his own.  
  
Minseok tensed, too shocked to kiss back or pull away. He stood motionless as Luhan’s tongue met his bottom lip.  
  
Luhan pulled away, fear in his eyes as he looked at Minseok.  
  
Minseok’s brain started to work a second later, though how well it was working was debatable. He was the one to initiate the second kiss, reaching up to press their lips together. He parted his lips and moved his tongue in tandem, a sloppy action born of his inexperience. Luhan pushed back, fitting their mouths together, his tongue meeting Minseok’s.  
  
He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. His stomach fluttered, a weird feeling he had never experienced before. Minseok didn’t want it to end, didn’t want the moment to ever end. It was his first real kiss.  
  
Luhan pulled back first, his bruised face hovering inches in front of Minseok’s as he placed a hand on each side of Minseok’s head.  
  
Minseok took a deep breath and went in for more. He could care less they were standing on the pier, where anyone could see them. He could care less that they turned a shouting match into a lip lock. Because damn did it feel good.  
  
When they finally parted Minseok was out of breath.  
  
“We should go back to the boat,” Luhan whispered.  
  
For once Minseok wasn’t going to argue.  
  
  
  
  
  
They ended up on the sofa in the salon. They started out sitting but within a few minutes Minseok was halfway on top of Luhan, his body angled as he peppered Luhan’s neck with kisses.  
  
Minseok had never done this with anyone so the experience was completely foreign to him. He worried he was doing something wrong, but Luhan didn’t seem to think so. He let out low whines as Minseok grew bolder, opening his mouth as he kissed, sucking small patches of skin.  
  
“You are way better at this than I would have thought,” Luhan hissed.  
  
Minseok stopped what he was doing. “What is that supposed to mean?”  
  
“That I want you to keep doing it.” Luhan let his head fall back, exposing more of his neck.  
  
Minseok hesitated. “Luhan?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“What are we doing?” Minseok bit his bottom lip.  
  
“Kissing.”  
  
“Is that it?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
Minseok decided he could figure out the rest of it later, much later. For now he liked the feeling. He liked the way he felt warm, alive. He liked Luhan.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok made circles in the sand with his big toe, pushing the white sand up and around as he looked towards the ocean. They had left the boat after Luhan got a call from Sehun, asking where he was. It broke the spell they were under. Luhan suggested they go check out the beach and Minseok agreed. They walked in silence for a few minutes, along the shoreline, until they were at a secluded spot, away from the other tourists that lingered on the beach.  
  
“What were you so upset about? Earlier, you know, before.” Luhan traced his own circles, not in the sand but on the small of Minseok's back, lazy movements as he leaned into Minseok’s side.  
  
“My father called.” Minseok cleared his throat. “He needs surgery, which means he won’t be able to work for a while, which means I have to.”  
  
“And you hate this job…”  
  
“Yes. No, maybe.” Minseok sighed in frustration. “I hate that I can’t chose to do it if I want, that I _have_ to do it. Not that I know what I want to do, but whatever I end up doing I want it to be my choice. ”  
  
Luhan stretched out his legs and leaned back. “You know, it is funny. I always envied you.”  
  
“Always?” Minseok was pretty sure Luhan hadn’t always known him.  
  
“Don’t think I don’t remember pushing you in the sea -” Luhan held up his hand, counting with his fingers. “Eight years ago. Or the fact that every time I was on a ship, bored out of my mind because my parents were ignoring me, your dad let me sit in the wheelhouse.”  
  
“He did?” That was news to Minseok, news that somehow trumped the fact Luhan had admitted to bullying him.  
  
“Yeah, he did. He even had a picture of his ugly brat of a son near the controls most times. I used to feel sorry for him, such an ugly kid.”  
  
Minseok delivered a hard punch to Luhan’s arm. “You didn’t seem to think that way a while ago.”  
  
“I change my mind easily.” Luhan smirked.  
  
“I guess.”  
  
“But seriously, I always thought having that job would be so freeing. To know how to sail and to do it for a living. Set off from some port and travel around. My future is going to be an office.”  
  
“Can we agree that both of our futures suck?”  
  
“I can agree to that.” Luhan nodded. “Our futures suck, our present sucks. Great life we lead here.”  
  
“The present isn’t all that bad.” Minseok was being disgustingly flirtatious and he knew it. But the way Luhan reacted wasn’t about to make him stop.  
  
Later, as they dusted the sand off of their legs and arms (debris courtesy of their impromptu makeout session), Minseok couldn’t help but wonder where this fit into the future, if at all. They were just kissing, right?  
  
  
  
  
  
“So you two are -” Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows, nudging Kyungsoo with his elbow at the same time. “Soo, they are, _you know_.”  
  
Kyungsoo didn’t appear even the least bit interested in who was doing what with whom. He had a book on his lap, glasses perched on his nose, and appeared quite content reading without interruption.  
  
Minseok, on the other hand, did care that the first words Baekhyun spoke to him indicated that _he knew_ , which meant everyone probably knew. How had they found out? The last time he looked at the time it had only been a few hours since the time on the pier and none of the guys had been around.  
  
“Jealous?” Luhan slung his arm around Minseok's shoulder and pulled him close. So that was how they all found out, the loudmouthed ass hat. Luhan had spent a few minutes alone with the others before Minseok had arrived, he must have blurted it out then. Minseok had to visit the resort office to drop off paperwork on the boat before he could shirk his job responsibilities giving Luhan time to spill what had just occurred.  
  
“Um, no.” Baekhyun waved off idea with a flick of his wrist. “But I am curious how you guys stopped yelling at each other long enough for anything to happen.”  
  
Minseok shrugged Luhan off of him ignoring Baekhyun’s question in favor of chastising his… whatever Luhan was. “So you told everyone?”  
  
“Should I have kept it a secret?” Luhan replied.  
  
Minseok was poised to come back with one of his classic yes/no/maybe/ I don’t know answers but he wasn’t given a chance to say anything. Not when Sehun, Tao, and Chanyeol wandered towards the group of lounge chairs, returning from a swim in one of the resort’s pools.  
  
Sehun was the worst when it came to teasing, but Chanyeol and Tao came pretty close. By the time the trio wandered off, destination unknown, Minseok was done talking about what people knew and what it was they knew and why Luhan should really learn to keep his mouth shut maybe.  
  
“You want a drink?” Luhan asked, glancing towards the poolside tiki bar.  
  
“Yeah, I think so.” Minseok felt like he needed more than one drink. Everything was happening so quickly, so unexpectedly, he needed some time to relax.  
  
Twenty four hours ago they weren’t speaking, now Luhan had become akin to a really adorable leech, touching and hugging Minseok incessantly since they began doing whatever it was they were doing a few hours ago. It was all so fast.  
  
Minseok slumped into the nearest lounge chair as Luhan went to get their drinks. Just what were they doing and how could it possibly be a good idea?  
  
  
  
  
  
“You guys look happy,” Junmyeon said over the rim of his margarita glass.  
  
Luhan and his propensity to touch Minseok at every given opportunity did not go unnoticed by his friends. Aside from the first bout of teasing, Minseok was now subjected to constant calls of “Get a room, you two”. As they sat around after dinner, enjoying a few cocktails before heading out on a planned sunset cruise (which Minseok was internally fretting about), Luhan never let his hand stray from Minseok.  
  
Junmyeon noticed but he didn’t tease. He hadn’t said anything about Luhan and Minseok hooking up until that moment.  
  
“You make it sound like we just got married.” Luhan snorted.  
  
“Nah, I just - I meant it is nice seeing you both relaxed instead of on edge for once.” Junmyeon smiled.  
  
Minseok wanted to ask why Junmyeon couldn’t enjoy the same with Kris. He settled for nudging Luhan’s hand off of where it was resting on his thigh. “I might relax a little more if I wasn’t constantly being harassed. I have never met someone so clingy in my life.”  
  
It was a joke but Luhan didn’t look amused. He pouted, but his expression looked too serious for it to be a childish, humorous gesture.  
  
“Luhan, I was kidding.” Minseok reached out, resting his hand on Luhan’s shoulder. It had been a joke - for the most part. He hadn’t ever been around someone who clung to him like this, especially someone he swore he hated a few days prior.  
  
Luhan shrugged of his momentary hurt, accepting the joke as he continued his touchy behavior.  
  
Junmyeon, Minseok noticed, kept stealing glances at the pair. It was almost like he was jealous.  
  
  
  
  
  
“You can’t feed fish goldfish crackers!” Chanyeol swatted the snacks out of Sehun and Tao’s hands.  
  
“Why not?” Tao looked like he was ready to punch Chanyeol for spilling his treat all over the sundeck.  
  
“It is like cannibalism or something. Geez.” Chanyeol kicked the treats to the side. “To think I am friends with you people.”  
  
Minseok chuckled, watching the scene from the upper deck.  
  
“I can say one thing for your friends - they are never boring.” Minseok looked down to see Baekhyun collecting the crackers while Tao fought Chanyeol for the box.  
  
“Never,” Luhan mused, sipping from his glass of wine.  
  
The sunset cruise was a must do activity in the islands, every resort offered one and heavily pushed the excursion. A sunset in the islands was a sea of oranges, purples, blues, and golds, a natural wonder that everyone who visited should partake in once.  
  
Luhan had insisted they would have their own sunset cruise, because it seemed like the thing to do. It was the third day when he suggested it and Minseok had nearly forgotten until Luhan whispered a reminder in his ear earlier that day.  
  
After Luhan finished his wine he pulled Minseok close, enveloping him in a back hug.  
  
Minseok tried to relax but all of this affection, this touching and hugging and - it was so fast.  
  
“I should sleep on the boat tonight.” Luhan whispered in Minseok's ear.  
  
Yeah, way too fast. “Maybe tomorrow night?” Minseok couldn’t see Luhan’s face so he couldn’t gauge his reaction.  
  
When Luhan didn’t say anything Minseok spoke. “I am not ready for that yet.” He hoped he wouldn’t have to explain what _that_ was because he would likely die of embarrassment.  
  
“But you will be tomorrow?” Luhan asked skeptically.  
  
He had a point. “This is happening so fast.” Minseok murmured.  
  
“How else would it happen?” Luhan loosened his grasp on Minseok’s waist. “Look at me.”  
  
Minseok turned around, slightly afraid for what Luhan was going to say.  
  
“I like you Minseok and I think you like me too. There is nothing wrong with moving at our own pace if it makes sense. Too fast is a relative term, don’t you think?”  
  
A part of Minseok wanted to give in and agree while a part of him wanted to recoil, to realize that this was all some huge mistake.  
  
“Yeah, I guess you are right.” Minseok drowned out his hesitations with another glass of champagne.  
  
  
  
  
  
After the sunset cruise Luhan and Minseok remained on the boat, ignoring the questioning looks that were sent their way.  
  
Luhan put a movie on his laptop, some foreign film that Minseok wasn’t interested in. He might have been another time, but not now. His brain was flooded by questions about what they were about to do.  
  
It wasn’t like he didn’t know how it worked – his friends had explained that back in fourth grade. No, he knew, but actually being about to do it was another story. How much would it hurt? Who would do what? Did they have everything they needed?  
  
“Minseok, is something wrong?” Luhan noticed Minseok was zoning out, staring at the wall and not the laptop screen.  
  
“No,” Minseok answered quietly.  
  
Luhan reached over and planted a kiss on Minseok’s mouth, a reassuring peck. “If you don’t want to do anything tonight we don’t have to.”  
  
Minseok knew very well he could say no. That wasn’t the problem. “I want to I just...”  
  
“Is it your first time?” Luhan didn’t say it in a teasing way which Minseok was thankful for.  
  
“Yeah.” Minseok looked away, still embarrassed.  
  
“We will go slowly.” Another kiss on the lips. “And if you want to stop at any time we can.” Another kiss.  
  
“Whe-when should we?” Minseok felt like he was setting up a doctor’s appointment or something. He was so embarrassed.  
  
But Luhan didn’t treat him like it. Didn’t make him feel bad, laugh, or push him into anything. “Whenever you want.”  
  
“Now?” Minseok was still staring at the floor. It was so much nicer to look at than Luhan, because well – he couldn’t do that at the moment.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Okay?!” Minseok looked up, realizing just how close Luhan was.  
  
“If you want to then we can do it now. But I think we should move to one of our cabins for privacy. Knowing our friends I wouldn’t put it past them to wander in and ruin everything.”  
  
After a few awkward missteps, Minseok almost stepping on Luhan’s toes as they headed for the cabins, they ended up in Luhan’s room. It was the master suite of the yacht, a sumptuously decorated cabin with a walk-in closet and private bathroom.  
  
“Should I take my clothes off?” Minseok stared at the bed. He felt the heat rush to his cheeks.  
  
“Come here.” Luhan took Minseok’s hand and led him to the bed.  
  
Minseok let Luhan guide him into a sitting position.  
  
“Relax.” Luhan whispered as he placed light kisses on Minseok’s cheeks, on his nose, and on the side of his neck. It felt nice, comforting.  
  
Minseok tried to relax, to lose himself in the sensation. When Luhan turned from feather light kisses to gentle sucks Minseok felt himself lowering onto the bed, taking Luhan with him.  
  
When their mouths met Minseok moaned, a noise that made his cheeks feel flush again. Try not to embarrass yourself, try not to embarrass yourself, he repeated again and again as they kissed.  
  
Minseok’s mantra faded away when Luhan placed his hand on his hip, drawing his t-shirt up.  
  
Minseok felt hot all over, needy, wanting. His dick was half hard as Luhan began to trace small circles into his waist, and up to his chest. Minseok keened, letting instinct take over. He moved his own hands, carding one in Luhan’s hair and resting the other on Luhan’s shoulder.  
  
The pressure, the weight of Luhan laying on top of him was enticing him, making him want more, to touch more, to feel more. It was all so new, this feeling of need.  
  
“Take off your shirt,” Minseok whispered as they broke their kiss. Luhan complied readily, leaning back on his shins and tossing his grey t-shirt off. Minseok took a moment to stare, to appreciate the sight before him. Luhan wasn’t built, wasn’t made of muscle. He was lean, maybe even a bit scrawny. But to Minseok he was beautiful. He swallowed and tore his eyes away, dragging his own t-shirt over his head.  
  
Minseok wanted to run his hands along Luhan’s chest, to feel his smooth skin, to see how he responded. He sat up and matched his position to Luhan’s. Kneeling he raised his hand and dragged a fingertip slowly across Luhan’s chest.  
  
Luhan shivered, much to Minseok’s amazement. He had done that, he had caused that reaction.  
  
Minseok leaned in, slotting their mouths together as he moved his hand lower, stopping at Luhan’s waistband. He toyed with the material as he licked into Luhan’s mouth. He decided to be brave. He inched closer until their bodies were flush, until he could feel Luhan’s hardness against his abdomen.  
  
Minseok pushed forward, rolling his hips slowly. Luhan gasped, twining his hands through Minseok’s hair. In a tangle of arms and legs, Minseok bucking forward as Luhan pushed to meet him, they fell onto the bed.  
  
“Fuck, you drive me insane,” Luhan said through ragged breaths.  
  
Minseok blushed. So he was doing it right, that was something.  
  
“Hold on, I need to get the stuff.” Luhan planted a kiss on Minseok’s mouth before getting up and walking to the dresser. He pulled open the first drawer, retrieving a small bottle and a condom.  
  
It was really going to happen, Minseok swallowed. They were going to – he was going to –  
  
“I will prepare myself.” Luhan began unbuttoning his shorts.  
  
“Prepare yourself?” Minseok squeaked, unable to look away as Luhan’s erection sprang free, only hidden by his black boxers.  
  
Luhan shucked his shorts away, then pushed down the last bit of clothing that hid his nakedness. “Unless you want to, well, I just thought maybe you wanted to fuck me?”  
  
Awareness dawned. So Luhan was going to let him – oh. Minseok’s cock twitched. “Yes, we should do that.”  
  
Luhan chuckled as he climbed onto the bed. He crawled up Minseok, caging him in with his arms. “Now it is only fair.” He tapped Minseok’s waistband.  
  
Minseok had never undressed faster in his life. He pushed his shorts and boxers down the moment Luhan moved off of him, discarding them on the floor with a kick.  
  
“Fuck.” Luhan’s eyes were focused on one very specific part of Minseok’s anatomy. Minseok felt self-conscious, he moved to cover himself.  
  
“No, don’t.”  
  
Luhan uncapped the lube and squirted some on his fingers. “Watch me.”  
  
Minseok was entranced by the sight before him. Luhan opened his legs, revealing his hole. He circled lube on the rim before pushing a finger inside. It was so erotic, Minseok felt a need to touch himself, to give himself pleasure as he watched Luhan do the same. Minseok’s hand moved to his dick, stroking as he watched Luhan. Fuck this was hot.  
  
After a few thrusts Luhan added his second finger. He was enjoying it, gasping as he dragged his fingers in and out, widening them and grinding down.  
  
Minseok found the willpower to stop stroking his cock. He was afraid he would come if he kept fisting himself. He was so turned on and so inexperienced. Seeing a man naked in front of him, fingers thrusting in and out – it was so hot, Minseok didn’t think he could hold back if he continued to push his arousal further.  
  
Luhan removed his fingers with a pop, grabbing the condom wrapper as he got on his knees. He tore the packaging open, taking out the condom and positioning it over the head of Minseok’s cock. He rolled it down with a smooth motion, like he had done it a bunch of times. He probably has, Minseok thought, but I don’t care, not now, not when –  
  
“I am going to ride you first, okay?”  
  
Minseok couldn’t talk, only weakly nodding as Luhan climbed on top of him and lined Minseok’s cock up with his hole.  
  
“Ready?”  
  
Another nod.  
  
Luhan sunk down slowly, crying out as Minseok filled him.  
  
Minseok made a primal noise, a throaty cry as he felt his dick enveloped in a heat. It was so tight, so good. When Luhan began to roll his hips Minseok felt himself getting close. He couldn’t come already, not now, not yet.  
  
Luhan bounced once, then twice, and Minseok couldn’t hold it back. He came with a shudder and a cry, spilling his seed in the condom. As he came down from his orgasm the mortification set in. He had lasted all of… a minute. Okay, maybe more like thirty seconds.  
  
He would have apologized to Luhan if given the chance, but Luhan assaulted Minseok’s mouth with his tongue, through sloppy kisses he slipped off of Minseok’s dick.  
  
“Touch me.”  
  
Minseok reached for Luhan’s dick and began fisting it, slow strokes then faster as Luhan bucked into Minseok’s hand. It wasn’t long before Luhan came apart, spilling on Minseok’s fingers. It was beautiful, seeing Luhan gasping and shaking, his muscles clenching then relaxing as he came down from his ecstasy.  
  
“Luhan, I’m sor-”  
  
“Don’t.” Luhan reached for a towel he had set on the nightstand, handing it to Minseok. “If you say you’re sorry I will hit you.”  
  
“But I-“  
  
“You lasted longer than I did the first time.” Once Minseok had cleaned off his hand and thrown the towel on the floor he was enveloped in Luhan’s arms and pulled into the other man’s chest.  
  
“I did?” Minseok couldn’t believe it. So that was normal.  
  
“Yeah. Now go to sleep. You will need your energy.”  
  
“For what?”  
  
“Round two. Practice makes perfect.” Luhan placed a kiss on the tip of Minseok’s nose.  
  
Minseok snuggled into Luhan’s side, letting his fatigue take over. The next morning Minseok got more practice before breakfast, then after breakfast. It was only later in the day, when they were walking towards the resort, that Minseok remembered how apprehensive he had been. How many questions he had. How fast and uncertain the entire situation was.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok had yet to talk to Kris beyond a word here and there as they hung out amidst the larger group of friends. It wasn’t like Yixing, who talked Minseok's ear off. Or Baekhyun, who liked to monopolize Minseok's time when he had a chance. Kris was still a bit of a mystery to Minseok, a mystery that Minseok grew more curious about after seeing him with Junmyeon.  
  
When Kris approached Minseok first, sitting down next to him at the pool tiki bar, Minseok was taken aback. He hadn’t expected it  
  
The others were swimming in the pool - Minseok guessed that is why Kris had decided to socialize with him at that moment.  
  
“I know you saw us.”  
  
What a pleasant greeting. Minseok nodded. “I did.”  
  
“You aren’t going to tell anyone, right?” Kris asked.  
  
“No, but why? I mean, why are you so mean to him if you guys are…” Minseok didn’t finish because he honestly didn’t know what to call them.  
  
“ _I’m_ mean to _him_?” Kris laughed, seemingly amused by the statement. “Look, I just want to make sure you won’t tell the other guys. If you promise me I owe you one.”  
  
“I promise.” Minseok wasn’t the type of person to spread gossip - even gossip he confirmed with his own eyes.  
  
“Thanks. I knew you were okay.”  
  
Minseok didn’t know if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Did I ever tell you how hot you look playing soccer?”  
  
Minseok could barely get out a “No”, his mouth not cooperating as Luhan sucked marks into his chest.  
  
“Because you do.”  
  
Minseok moaned, letting his head fall back into the sand.  
  
“You guys seriously need to get a room.”  
  
Minseok tried to push Luhan off him but the other man was not the least bit bothered that his friends had wandered upon their make out session. Luhan finally moved when Minseok raised his knee perilously close to his groin.  
  
“Minseok, can I talk to you?” Jongin stood a few feet away, completely ignoring Luhan’s death glares.  
  
“He is busy.”  
  
“Sure, you can talk to me.” Minseok stuck his tongue out at Luhan, a reminder that he didn’t take orders well.  
  
He followed Jongin away from the beach, back towards the path to the boardwalk and the villas.  
  
Jongin looked around, like he was afraid someone was following them or could hear.  
  
“What is it?” Minseok was afraid to ask.  
  
“Do you know how to - um, since you are mechanical and stuff - can you fix something?” Jongin whispered his request, eyes darting left and right, on the lookout in case they were discovered.  
  
“It depends.” Minseok leaned in. “What did you break?”  
  
“It’s probably better if I show you.”  
  
Minseok followed Jongin to a villa. It was like they were on a super-secret mission or something, Jongin darting his head out and looking both ways before taking a turn in the path. Minseok was starting to wonder if Jongin hadn’t broken something very expensive - or at least something he would get in a lot of trouble for destroying.  
  
“In here.” Jongin tiptoed into the villa, waving Minseok in after him.  
  
“Can you fix it?” Jongdae stood in the middle of the room, pointing towards the bed.  
  
Minseok neared the canopied bed, stopping short when he saw a guitar - a guitar that was split in half, the neck snapped in two. Chanyeol’s guitar. He had seen it the day before, when Chanyeol had brought it on the boat to play a mini marathon of Radiohead songs – only stopping when Kyungsoo threatened to toss it overboard.  
  
“I’ve never fixed a guitar before.” Minseok put his hands on his hips, surveying the damage.  
  
“But, could you at least try!” Minseok hadn’t even realized Kyungsoo was there, not until he spoke.  
  
“How did it happen?”  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
“We should tell him, since we are asking for his help.” Jongdae sighed. “We were just playing around, pretending to be Hirasawa from K-On-”  
  
“Wait, you like that anime?” Minseok had been a fan of the series ever since he marathoned it a few years ago.  
  
“Yeah. Do you?” Kyungsoo and Jongin looked at Minseok with hope in their eyes.  
  
“Yeah! I mean who doesn’t. What about that time that Yui forgot EVERYTHING after they had worked so hard to teach her. Seriously that is my favorite part.”  
  
“You should have seen Kyungsoo’s face when he watched that episode!” Jongin laughed.  
  
“Hey, at least I wasn’t crying at when they sang Tenshi Ni Fureta Yo to Azusa!” Kyungsoo replied.  
  
“Can we all agree that K-On is a very emotional experience?” Jongdae plopped down on the bed, shoving the broken guitar to the side.  
  
An hour later the four had bonded over their favorite K-On! moments, completely forgetting about the guitar.  
  
When the door handle of the villa started rattling - midway between Minseok recounting his out of body experience when he first heard there would be a K-On! Movie everyone froze.  
  
“Shit, Chanyeol!” Jongin ran for the patio door, panicking when it didn’t budge.  
  
“Hide!” Jongdae waved for the group to scramble, grabbing the guitar as he ran for the bathroom.  
  
Minseok jumped into the walk in closet, shutting the door after him. He was just in time, the door of the villa opening a fraction of a second after he was safely concealed.  
  
“Stop being paranoid, no one saw us.”  
  
Minseok peeked out the slotting of the closet door. He could see Chanyeol, someone else was with him.  
  
“Are you sure? Because Kyungsoo would-”  
  
“He isn’t going to know. Geez Baek, it isn’t like we haven’t done this before.”  
  
Minseok closed his eyes and prayed, wished, and asked the powers that be to please not let the two guys start fooling around in front of him.  
  
“It just feels so good, you know.” Baekhyun sounded half drunk.  
  
Minseok could hear the sound of mattress springs. No, no, no this was bad. He didn’t want to see this or hear this or be anywhere near this.  
  
Then silence. They weren’t talking, there wasn’t any hot and heavy breathing. Minseok hesitantly opened his eyes after a couple of minutes of nothing.  
  
“You are the best cuddler, just don’t tell Kyungsoo I said that.” Baekhyun sighed dreamily, his body melded into Chanyeol’s side.  
  
It was five minutes later when the sound of soft snoring drove Minseok and the others out of hiding. They inched their way towards the door, stopping at every little noise. Thankfully Chanyeol and Baekhyun were fast asleep, allowing them to make their escape.  
  
When they were far enough from the villas no one could keep quiet any longer.  
  
“Were they secretly cuddling? Wait until I tell Junmyeon this!” Jongdae slapped his knee.  
  
“He thinks Chanyeol is a better cuddler than me.” Kyungsoo frowned.  
  
“It is lies, all lies!” Jongin tried to boost his friend’s sour mood.  
  
“I for one am just glad they weren’t doing something more intimate.” Minseok shuddered at the thought of having to sit through that. He likely would have burst out of the closet, guitar be damned there was no way he could sit through that.  
  
“Here.” Jongdae shoved the guitar into Minseok’s hands before he could protest. “At least we got it out before he realized it is broken.”  
  
“I am not sure that I can fix it.” Minseok looked at the broken pieces. “But I will try.”  
  
“See, I knew you were okay!” Jongdae patted him on his back.  
  
For the second time that day he had to wonder, was that a compliment or an insult?  
  
  
  
  
  
He deposited the guitar in his cabin and then went in search of Luhan. He found him at the bar by the north beach, standing next to Tao as they chatted up the DJ.  
  
Minseok slipped in without Luhan noticing him. He took a seat next to Junmyeon, who looked happy to have someone to talk to.  
  
“Water?” Minseok pointed towards the clear liquid in Junmyeon glass.  
  
“Nah, rum and tonic.” Junmyeon tapped the side of the glass. “Thought I could have one tonight and it wouldn’t kill me.”  
  
“Just be careful.” Minseok thought that slogan should probably be tattooed onto the foreheads of all ten boys, based on what he had witnessed over the past two weeks.  
  
“I will.”  
  
They fell into an awkward silence which Minseok felt like he had to break. He asked the first generic question that popped into his head. “What does your family do?”  
  
“My dad owns a conglomerate.” Junmyeon said it like he was talking about the weather, not a multimillion dollar corporation.  
  
“Are you going to take it over? I mean, eventually?” Minseok knew that Luhan was facing that same prospect. How many of his friends were sharing that future as well?  
  
“Yes, that is the plan. After I get married, have a couple kids -” Junmyeon stopped talking mid-sentence.  
  
“Like you will ever find someone to marry.” Kris stared down at Junmyeon, a look of utter disgust on his face as he turned and stalked off towards Luhan and Tao.  
  
“He’s right.” Junmyeon whispered, knocking back his drink.  
  
Minseok didn’t know how to respond so he refrained, staying silent until Luhan noticed him and came over.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Why is Chanyeol’s guitar in your room?” Luhan asked as he walked into Minseok’s cabin.  
  
“Long story, just keep it a secret for now.” Minseok was splayed out on the bed, half drunk and half asleep. He yawned as Luhan plopped down next to him and pulled him close.  
  
“You can’t be tired.” Luhan nuzzled into Minseok's neck. It tickled.  
  
“Stop it.”  
  
“Make me.” Luhan challenged, nipping at the exposed skin that peeked out of Minseok’s oversized t-shirt.  
  
“I will.” Minseok pinned Luhan down, which ultimately got Luhan to stop his assault – only to see Minseok starting his own.  
  
Two hours later they were both exhausted, spent from their activities as they laid in each other’s arms.  
  
Luhan fell asleep first, leaving Minseok time to think. For some reason his thoughts went to Junmyeon, to expectations, and to how much of those had to be the same for Luhan.  
  
It is just a fling, Minseok thought, because what else could this be when his future is already laid out?  
  
His mind was troubled as he let sleep overcome him.  
  
  
  
  
  
For all of Minseok’s feelings of uncertainty he made certain to never say them out loud. What it meant in the long run, what they were really doing, if emotions were playing into it. He was too afraid if he said it everything would be true, his thoughts, the reality he knew was waiting for them.  
  
But what had else had he expected, what did he want out of this? It was all so confusing he let himself be distracted and Luhan proved to be an excellent distraction.  
  
They lounged around the resort the next day, trading lazy kisses when they were alone. That night they went back to the boat and sat out on the sky deck, looking up at the stars as they talked about nothing in particular, about stupid little moments in their lives like the time Minseok stole candy from a convenience store and his dad spanked him, or that time Luhan accidently broke the window in his bedroom, earning a scolding from the head maid.  
  
It was past midnight when they walked hand in hand to Luhan’s chambers, falling into bed a mess of arms and legs, kisses, and caresses.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok watched Luhan’s chest rise and fall, a low snore escaping his lips. He still had bruises on his face, purple and blue marks from the fight back on Dhonakulhiin. Minseok reached out, tracing a finger along the darkest bruise under Luhan’s left eye.  
  
In four days it would all be over. Luhan would be on a plane back to Japan, Minseok would be stuck on the Jade Monkey, sailing her to wherever Luhan’s family requested. In four days this would be a memory, Minseok thought.  
  
He had come to the painful conclusion that morning, as he stared at the man next to him. He had to accept it, there wasn’t a lot of time to be in denial. This was a fling, a onetime thing. Two people from two very different worlds doing something daring. A folly of their youth. It had to be, there wasn’t a way for it to be anything else.  
  
They lived such different lives with such different outcomes. Sure, they were connected by Minseok’s employment, but that was the extent. Minseok lived in a crappy apartment in Beijing. Luhan lived in an elite prep school. Soon he would be off to a University, likely one overseas, while Minseok spent his life on a boat, begrudging his lack of initiative at finding an alternative form of employment.  
  
The only way this could end was with a goodbye at the airport. Not a see you later, or call me, or stay in touch. A severing of whatever heady thing had transpired between them would signal the end.  
  
“What are you thinking about?” Luhan’s eyelids fluttered open. He didn’t move out of Minseok’s touch.  
  
“How this is all going to be over soon.” Minseok knew it was time to say it. He knew that they had purposely not brought it up. But it needed to be said, at some point. “How we will go our separate ways and this will be a memory.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Luhan inched away.  
  
Minseok pursed his lips. Surely Luhan felt the same way. “I mean that you will be going back to school and I will be working on that stupid boat for who knows how long. I doubt we'll see each other again, unless you are with your family on a cruise.”  
  
“You don’t want to see me again?” Luhan asked quietly.  
  
“It isn’t about what I want, it is about what will happen.” Minseok hoped he was making it clear. It was how it was always going to end.  
  
Luhan sat up. He let the sheets drop away from him as he stood and slipped on his sandals, his favorite green cargo shorts hugging his hips.  
  
“Ah, the big bad world making choices for you again, I see.” Luhan dragged a hand through his hair. He looked annoyed. “Minseok, have you ever thought what would happen if we both just said fuck it. Just didn’t go with expectations and what the world wanted?”  
  
“You know I have, but Luhan, this isn’t as simple as that. What are you suggesting? We run away together?” Minseok wanted to laugh, it was such an outrageous idea it was hilarious.  
  
“Maybe.” Luhan looked serious and it scared Minseok.  
  
“Where would we go? And why? Luhan, we just met. You want to throw everything in your life away for this? You can’t be serious.” Minseok knew it came out wrong as soon as he said it. Luhan paled, his eyes widening.  
  
“No, how dare I think about doing something so fucking stupid?” Luhan snorted. “Right, just a quick fuck, your first time, and that is it, right. You can go tell everyone you got lucky on the job.”  
  
“It isn’t like that!” Minseok shouted.  
  
Luhan grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. “You know,” Luhan stood in the doorway of the cabin, “You are going to be working on boats forever. Because you never think what if. You just do what you hate and bitch about it. You are fucking pathetic.”  
  
“And what are you? Ready to do something stupid like throw away your money, your chances? What does that make you?!” Minseok yelled after Luhan.  
  
When he heard the salon doors close, he began to cry. Luhan was right. He was inflexible. He complained, he got angry, but never once did he try to fix anything. Luhan was right. He was pathetic. He probably always would be pathetic.  
  
Luhan might be unrealistic, but at least he wasn’t pathetic.  
  
The blissful, strange daydream Minseok had been living in for the past two weeks shattered into a thousand pieces.  
  
  
  
  
  
They didn’t speak after that. Luhan didn’t come to the boat, Minseok didn’t set foot ashore. The last few days docked at Rangali Island was a solitary existence for Minseok, plenty of time for him to fixate on what had happened with Luhan.  
  
He did a lot of thinking, about what Luhan had said and how much truth were in such painful words. He accepted that he was pathetic, completely and totally believed it. Because no matter how many times he tried to make excuses and pretend like it was someone else’s fault, he knew it was his own.  
  
He wasn’t a kid anymore. He was an adult and he needed to start acting like one. It wasn’t a matter of what he wanted to be when he grew up, _he was grown up_ , he needed to figure something out. At least a path, an opportunity, or an interest. He needed to do something instead of sitting around and complaining about it.  
  
He needed to try something new, give himself a chance to find out if it was for him or not. And then, after giving himself a mental pep talk, he would remember… his father.  
  
What could he do when he needed to make money? What could he do when he was the one who had to work to pay the bills?  
  
The amount of regret he felt over not acting faster, over drifting after his first year out of school, was painful. Why hadn’t he done something before it was too late?  
  
Depression would set in as Minseok realized it was probably too late to make a choice. Then he would repeat the whole mess, imagining his dad would heal faster than the doctor thought, that this was all a temporary thing.  
  
What if he can’t walk again?  
  
Then his mind would turn to Luhan, to their argument, to their few days of bliss. Could it be more than some fling, some accident, if they tried. Could they have something more if they both dedicated themselves to it?  
  
He thought of the way he felt when Luhan kissed him, the way he felt about Luhan in general. He liked him, a lot. He liked him more than he had ever liked anyone, and that was a hard thing to give up. Maybe it was because of the tension in their relationship from day one, maybe it was because they were stuck together on this trip. But should he take those maybes and decide they were universal truths - because he didn’t want to. Not when he thought of the alternative, never seeing Luhan again. Seeing their days together fade into a memory. He didn’t want an end, not deep down.  
  
Minseok shed tears in the wheelhouse, tears of anger and frustration and bitterness. Every day that passed worsened his mood, saw him falling deeper and deeper into depression.  
  
When Yixing showed up for a visit, early in the morning the day they were set to depart, Minseok was struggling just to rundown the maintenance checklist. He wanted to throw himself into his bunk and never leave.  
  
“Can we talk?” Yixing wasn’t smiling, one of the few times Minseok had seen him look so serious.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
They sat the dining table. Minseok made tea. He gripped the cup tightly, knowing that Yixing was going to talk about Luhan.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“No,” Minseok answered honestly.  
  
“Why?”  
  
Yixing’s questions opened the floodgate, the three days’ worth of thoughts that Minseok had kept to himself. About his future, his father - about how Luhan was right, he was pathetic. About how Luhan was unrealistic but that was not a reason for Minseok to have not considered another possibility. When he finished he hung his head, exhausted from his ranting, both emotionally and physically.  
  
“Minseok, this is going to sound impossible, but I think he loves you.”  
  
Minseok raised his head and looked into Yixing’s eyes. Luhan loved him? Yes, that was impossible. “We haven’t known each other that long.” Minseok knew for certain he didn’t love Luhan. He liked him, a lot, but there was nothing to build love on.  
  
“I know Luhan really well, _really well_. I have never seen him like this before.” Yixing sighed. “I can’t tell you what to do but I can tell you from experience that he doesn’t want this to end.”  
  
“From experience?”  
  
“Luhan had a boyfriend a couple of years ago. An upperclassman.” Yixing paused. “He liked him, _a lot_. When he graduated and broke it off with Luhan, I sat with him as he moped for all of a day. He dated a couple of girls after that and when they broke up he brushed it off, no big deal.”  
  
Yixing sighed. “Minseok, he cried yesterday. He hasn’t left his villa for three days and while I won’t tell you exactly what he said, I am confident in telling you he doesn’t want this to be over when this trip ends.”  
  
“Why are you telling me?” Minseok’s voice was weak, unsure.  
  
“Because I care about my best friend and I honestly believe you are what is best for him right now.”  
  
Minseok remained silent.  
  
“And it seems like you feel the same way.”  
  
When Yixing left a few minutes later, giving Minseok a big hug, it was like a part of the dark cloud had been blown away.  
  
Minseok walked into the wheelhouse and sat down. Was there still time to repair what happened, what he had said? He hoped so. Yixing was right, at least when it came to Minseok. He did feel the same way. After three days of a deep depression he could confidently say that he didn’t want this to be over, for Luhan to be a memory. Now he had to find out if he could fix the damage he had done, with only two days left he had to work fast.  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok decided against trying to apologize before they reached their next stop. If it didn’t go well that would leave him in a funk while having to navigate the most dangerous waters he would face on the trip. He needed his thoughts to have some clarity, not be bogged down with a feeling of hopelessness.  
  
Minseok stayed in the wheelhouse as the guys boarded the ship. The most interaction he had with them was when he announced over the loudspeaker that it was departure time.  
  
It was a seven hour journey, Minseok on high alert as he kept his eyes glued to the navigation instruments. The relatively calm winds and Minseok’s attentiveness got the Jade Monkey (god he hated that name) to the island on time and intact.  
  
Minseok leaned back in the captain's chair and let out a sigh of relief when he had the ship securely moored at the long, single width pier.  
  
With his mind free from his job he began to think of how he should approach Luhan. He milled about the wheelhouse for a while, letting the others depart.  
  
Should he just march right up and apologize? Ask Luhan to meet him somewhere? Maybe walk up and punch himself in the face in front of the entire group so Luhan knew how sorry he was?  
  
After an intense game of eenie meenie miney mo over the three options he had narrowed down, he ended up with a firm plan to get Luhan alone sometime that evening. A time when the other guys would probably be less apt to overhear their conversation or too drunk to find eavesdropping of interest.  
  
Minseok waited anxiously, taking his first step onto the pier as the sun was setting. He had practiced what he was going to say in front of the mirror in his cabin. Over and over he had said it “I am sorry. I don’t want this to be a onetime thing. I know I am pathetic, Luhan could you give us another chance? If you want it?”  
  
He mumbled the words as he walked down the pier, down the snaking path towards the largest beach on the island, up to the place where the path stopped and the white sand expanse took over.  
  
They were gathered around a fire, tents dotting the beach behind them, set up far enough inland to not be subjected to the tides.  
  
“Minseok!” Baekhyun called for him.  
  
Minseok took a deep breath and walked towards the group. His mouth suddenly felt dry, his energy depleted. He had to find the exact right moment to ask Luhan to chat. The exact right moment to ask -  
  
Luhan wasn’t there. He wasn’t sitting with the others.  
  
“So you guys all good now? Did he serenade you?” Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
“Where is Luhan?” Minseok looked around, certain he must be nearby.  
  
“Um, shouldn’t we be asking you that?” Chanyeol smirked. “How was the fireworks show? As good as the one in bed or-”  
  
The explosion was loud, a wave of heat sweeping over the small island as a bomb ripped through the relative peace and quiet.  
  
Everyone stopped for a few seconds, too shocked to move, too confused to do anything. Then it was chaos.  
  
Minseok turned to see smoke and flames rising from the pier. The boat.  
  
“Luhan was on the boat!” Kris shouted, running past a shocked Minseok.  
  
Luhan was on the boat? Minseok blinked, his mind a daze. When he realized what Kris had said he charged forward, running as fast as he could, as fast as he had ever run in his life, towards the flames.  
  
The closer Minseok got the hotter it was, the flames engulfing the boat. He ignored the heat, ignored his own safety as he ran out onto the burning pier. Kris and Yixing were already standing near the flames, peering into the burning boat with their hands over their faces.  
  
“IS HE IN THERE?” Minseok pulled his shirt over his mouth, turning his head away from the billowing smoke.  
  
“He never got off!” Yixing cried.  
  
Minseok knew it was a death sentence, but maybe he could at least get Luhan off the boat. Maybe he could at least give him a future. Minseok was prepared to leap onto the burning vessel when he spotted something lying in the shallow water about fifteen feet away from the conflagration. When that something moved Minseok jumped into the water instead of on the boat.  
  
He waded through the sharp reef, the bottom of his shoes slicing open as he pushed forward.  
  
“Luhan!” He shouted, practically jumping the last few feet until he had his hands on the boy.  
  
“Minseok?” Luhan looked dazed but very much alive.  
  
“He is here!” Minseok yelled back to the guys on the pier. Then he turned and grabbed Luhan to him.  
  
“I thought you were on the boat.” Minseok felt tears sting the corners of his eyes.  
  
“What happened?” Luhan returned the hug, his hands digging into Minseok’s back.  
  
“Come on, we need to get away before the fuel explodes.” Minseok pulled Luhan towards the shore.  
  
When they reached the sandy shore the others rushed towards them, worried. Once everyone had confirmed that Luhan was not only alive, but unscathed - apparently only suffering some confusion from the incident - worry was replaced by mockery.  
  
“Did you just blow your boat up with fireworks?” Chanyeol pointed and laughed.  
  
“That is a way to get your crush’s attention. God, Luhan, you never disappoint.” Jongdae shook his head playfully.  
  
“Wait, why did you have fireworks?” Minseok narrowed his eyes at Luhan.  
  
“I was going to say I was sorry… with a bang?” Luhan scrunched up his face, as if to indicate it really was a great sounding idea at the time. “The guy said they were safe…”  
  
The fuel tank on the Jade Monkey exploded as Luhan divulged his plan. Everyone flinched, moving back.  
  
It was Sehun who was the first to speak after the final explosion.  
  
“Um, guys. I think we are officially shipwrecked.”  
  
A collective gasp could be heard from the ten students, residents at one of Japan’s most exclusive prep schools, sons of industry, heirs to fortunes - and current survivors of the Jade Monkey explosion.  
  
  
  
  
  
“We aren’t shipwrecked. Once the boat isn’t docked in Malé tomorrow they will send someone out.” Minseok felt the need to repeat the explanation he had given to the group (to no avail, as Sehun worked everyone into a fit of hysterics over their shipwreck) as he walked alongside Luhan.  
  
“I know.” Luhan had a beach towel wrapped around his shoulders. He had changed his clothes but was still shivering and complaining of the cold. His earlier confusion had been replaced by amusement then a dose of regret as he apologized to Minseok for everything.  
  
“I was going to say I am sorry too, that is why I left the boat.” Minseok reached out for Luhan’s hand, hoping he would let him. Luhan didn’t pull back. “Luhan, I know I am pathetic. I know I messed up, and while I don’t know what this is - what we are - I don’t want this to be over tomorrow.”  
  
“That is pretty lame.” Luhan tugged at Minseok’s hand.  
  
“What?” Minseok was confused.  
  
“I blew up a multimillion dollar yacht for my apology, you clearly have no concept of go big or go home.”  
  
Minseok slapped at Luhan’s arm, his assault halted as Luhan pulled him close. “Run away with me?” He whispered.  
  
“On what, a burning boat?” Minseok teased, inching forward.  
  
“Details, details,” Luhan murmured, leaning forward until their lips were touching.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Since we will probably die here I think it is important we come clean, be honest, pass onto the other side with a clean conscious. If there is anything you need to admit, do it now.” Sehun looked around his circle of friends.  
  
“We aren’t shipwrecked. Trust me, they will send someone to come get us tomorrow.” Minseok sat on a folding lawn chair, his hand held securely in Luhan’s.  
  
“Minseok, now is not the time for false hope.” Sehun gave Minseok a pitiful look. “Anyone have anything to confess to?”  
  
Minseok sighed.  
  
“Just let them panic, at least it is entertaining.” Luhan squeezed his hand.  
  
“I can go first.” Tao stood up. “I wish I had known you all longer, since I am pretty sure I found my eleven soulmates.”  
  
Jongdae make a puking noise while Baekhyun asked him to please sit down. Sehun looked annoyed. “Sharing anything is fine. Jongdae, Baekhyun, if you are so sarcastic about it why you don’t share something.”  
  
“I don’t have anything to confess,” Baekhyun announced.  
  
“Really? Nothing?” Kyungsoo had a glint in his eye.  
  
“No, not a thing,” Baekhyun confirmed.  
  
“What about your cuddle parties with that oaf over there?” Kyungsoo pointed towards Chanyeol.  
  
Baekhyun gasped. “How did you know about that?!”  
  
“He is a better cuddler than me? Really, Baek, really?” Kyungsoo shook his head at his friend.  
  
“Yeah well at least I am not dating-”  
  
“Byun Baekhyun, don’t you dare!” Kyungsoo cut off Baekhyun before he could say it, or at least tried to. Baekhyun just talked right over him.  
  
“Jongin’s older sister for the last year!”  
  
“You are dating my sister?” Jongin leapt up from his chair, his face contorted by anger.  
  
Kyungsoo buried his face in his hands and mumbled that he was. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. God damn it, Baekhyun!”  
  
“For how long?!” Jongin balled his hands into fists.  
  
“This is going to get ugly.” Jongdae rocketed up from his seat. “Jongin broke Chanyeol’s guitar!”  
  
“You did what?” Chanyeol stood tall, pushing up on Jongin. “Is that where it went? Huh? I should never have believed you when you said I probably left it back at the resort.”  
  
“Look I can explain-” Jongin threw his hands up.  
  
Chanyeol was fuming, which threw Jongdae into another attempt to save the day. “Chanyeol is the one who started that rumor about Yixing’s real last name!”  
  
“That was you!” Yixing’s jaw dropped as he stared at Chanyeol.  
  
“Jongdae told me he had a dream about making out with you!” Chanyeol blurted out.  
  
“How could you!” Jongdae launched himself at Chanyeol while Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo by the collar. A fight was moments from breaking out when Junmyeon shouted, screaming loud enough to get everyone’s attention.  
  
“I am in love with Kris and, even though I don’t deserve him, I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing and faced Junmyeon.  
  
“What?” Jongin looked between the two men.  
  
“Like, seriously? This is legit?” Sehun’s eyes were so wide Minseok thought they would pop out of his head.  
  
“Do you guys have angry sex?” Baekhyun chimed in.  
  
“Gahh, shut up, I don’t want to imagine that.” Chanyeol put his hand over his eyes.  
  
“It is true. He doesn’t deserve me.” Kris stood up. “You wanted to keep it a secret but you get to decide when everyone knows? Really?”  
  
The tall blonde teenager stalked off into the darkness. Junmyeon watched him for a second before running to catch up with him.  
  
“I never saw that coming.” Baekhyun whistled.  
  
“Like they are in love or? Wow.” Jongdae agreed.  
  
“Guys! Guys!” Sehun gestured for everyone to sit. “I know you have all made some pretty shocking confessions but I need to say this and it is bigger and scarier than anything said so far.”  
  
Everyone sat, curious what could be more shocking than Kris and Junmyeon’s relationship.  
  
“I…” Sehun held his hand to his mouth. He looked like he was about to cry. “My dad made some bad investments. Guys, I might soon be… poor.”  
  
“What!” Chanyeol looked like someone had just killed his family.  
  
“As in _no money_?” Kyungsoo squeaked.  
  
“Yes, as in sell my watches, no longer have my own driver.” Sehun was crying. “Maybe even have to drop out of school.”  
  
“I’ll pay your tuition on my credit card!” Jongin shouted, jumping out of his seat in excitement.  
  
“Me too!” Baekhyun offered.  
  
“Oh my god, you guys are…” Sehun wiped his tears. “Group hug.”  
  
As the mass of confused individuals moved in for an embrace Minseok and Luhan slipped away.  
  
“Like I said, they never fail to be entertaining.” Minseok chuckled.  
  
“Hmm, but they are not the entertainment I want right now.” Luhan grabbed Minseok’s ass earning a yelp from the other man.  
  
“Time to go to bed, captain.” Luhan pulled him towards his tent, a smile on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Maldivian coast guard picked them up the next afternoon, but only after enforcing two rounds of identity validation before accepting they were who they said they were.  
  
Minseok looked at the ragtag group, an image of the boys he first met flashing in his head, a comparison to what he was looking at now. No wonder the coast guard couldn’t believe it.  
  
Luhan’s face was bruised, Jongin and Chanyeol had bruises from their fight, albeit not as bad as Luhan’s. Jongdae was still bright red from his sunburn. Sehun walked with a slight limp due to cutting his foot a week ago and his eyes were swollen from crying about his future death on the island. Tao’s eyes were almost swollen shut, it was very apparent he was a crier and wept when anyone else did. Kyungsoo was sporting a perma-frown from the sheer number of times he had to explain to Jongin that yes, he was dating Jongin’s sister and no, he hadn’t done it with her yet. Junmyeon and Kris, on the other hand, were trying and failing to cover up what seemed to be infinite hickeys, via their make up the night before.  
  
The only person who looked even remotely like he could come from a well to do background was Yixing and he was busy making eyes at the cute guy in the coast guard uniform.  
  
When the coast guard inquired how the boat had caught fire, everyone stayed mum. It was a miracle they weren’t arrested on the spot for impersonation and arson.  
  
Six hours later they were at the airport, Minseok’s eyes darting to the row of seaplanes docked outside the terminal. How different it was from the time he arrived, how different he was after only three weeks.  
  
Luhan’s parents had bought everyone’s plane tickets, including Minseok’s. While the rest of the guys, excluding Tao, would be flying back to Tokyo, Luhan would fly into Beijing and then depart for Japan a few hours later.  
  
When Luhan got off the phone with his parents Minseok immediately asked, “Are they mad about the boat?”  
  
“Nah. A little annoyed it will take six months to have another custom one built, but it was insured so no biggy.”  
  
Minseok should have expected as much.  
  
They sat next to each other on the flight to Beijing, Minseok’s first experience in first class. While Luhan rested his head on Minseok’s shoulder, a flight attendant made her rounds, offering food and drinks.  
  
She stopped when she saw Luhan, her eyes widening as she noticed the boy who had given her so much trouble three weeks prior.  
  
“I tamed him.” Minseok smiled at her. She looked confused but nodded like she understood.  
  
When they touched down in Beijing, they went to a coffee shop at the airport.  
  
“Promise me you will call and video chat.” Luhan wouldn't let go of Minseok’s hand, their hands intertwined in the middle of the table.  
  
“I will, as long as you promise me you aren’t going to dump me as soon as you get back to Tokyo.” Minseok stared at their intertwined hands. He would miss this, even if he had only experienced it for a short time.  
  
“Never. Promise you will fight off all your other suitors? Because if you don’t I will fly back on the next plane and lock you up. You’re mine, _only mine_.”  
  
“Luhan?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Don’t be an ass hat.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok toed his shoes off, leaving his luggage by the door he entered the apartment. He could hear the television blaring, a sign his father was parked in front of the tube.  
  
“Dad?”  
  
“In here!” He called from the living room.  
  
Minseok hadn’t spoken to him since he had the surgery. He was curious how he was healing.  
  
He found his father on the couch, leg propped up on an ottoman. Miss Kim was sitting next to him, a ball of yarn in her lap as she knitted. The scene looked so… domestic.  
  
“Hi Miss Kim.” Minseok bowed.  
  
“Oh, Minseok. I missed you!” She dropped her yarn and rushed to give Minseok a hug. He gave his father a helpless look as she enveloped him in her arms. His father shrugged, a big smile on his face.  
  
“How are you?” Minseok sat on the other side of his father, keeping his distance from the overeager caregiver.  
  
“Okay, not walking but Miss Kim is taking excellent care of me.”  
  
“Great. Thanks for taking care of my dad.” Minseok’s words were weak. Miss Kim had finally gotten what she wanted.  
  
“It is the least I could do.” She blushed as she made eyes at Minseok’s father. It made him want to puke.  
  
“Son, there is something we need to tell you.”  
  
Minseok heard alarm bells at the term _’we’_.  
  
“Miss Kim and I are engaged to be married.”  
  
Minseok went numb.  
  
  
  
  
  
He told Luhan all about it over video chat, how sudden it was and that no matter how many years he had been without a mother he sure as hell didn’t need one. Luhan sympathized with him, but was more interested in asking what Minseok was wearing on his lower half.  
  
Two weeks passed while Minseok waited for a job, the Lu Family still working out the details of who would need his services next. It was a boring time, too many free days to think about and miss Luhan. He missed the other guys too - their inane banter and perpetual hijinks. Sadness started to creep in as he waited for something to do.  
  
He told his father about Luhan, not wanting to keep it a secret. His dad was nonplussed by the news and apart from a few teasing comments he acted happy for his son.  
  
Then one afternoon everything changed. He was watching television with his dad when Miss Kim asked if she could talk to him alone. His father gave them a knowing look which caused Minseok to hesitate. He followed her to the kitchen prepared to be upset.  
  
“Minseok, I love your father very much.” She smiled at him, that maternal smile that she had directed his way for the last many years. “And believe it or not, I love you too. You see, there is something I haven’t been honest about all these years. Now that we are going to be family you need to know.”  
  
Minseok held his breath. Was she divorced? Had kids? A communicable disease? Was she a part of one of those weird old lady clubs that spent their days shopping and making cards?!  
  
“I work at the convenience store for fun, not because I need to. I inherited a chain of stores from my parents, their pride and joy.” Another bright smile. “I have a lot of money Minseok, and I would like to give you a wedding present, a gift for welcoming me into the family.”  
  
“Wait, you own that store?” Minseok was stuck on that revelation.  
  
“Yes, and about 21,573 other ones last time I counted.”  
  
She owned the entire chain. She had to be a millionaire, maybe even a billionaire. Holy shit.  
  
“Minseok, is there anything you want? Anything you want to do, anywhere you want to go? I will support you from now on if you will let me. Minseok, let me help.”  
  
For the first time in nineteen years Minseok had an answer to the question where did he want to go, what did he want to do. “Luhan, I want to go see Luhan.”  
  
She agreed readily. “Whatever you want dear, I just want to see you happy.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Minseok surprised Luhan that March, his visit was kept a secret by Luhan’s nine friends - or as they insisted, Minseok’s nine friends.  
  
After their reunion Minseok stayed in Tokyo, renting a short term apartment until Luhan graduated. In the meantime Luhan talked his parents into giving him a gap year between prep school and university, selling the idea when he flatly refused to attend college at all if they refused. After much negotiation they agreed, and Luhan liked to say it was because of Minseok. They didn’t believe their son would get into too much trouble sailing around with such a boring person as Kim Minseok. Luhan earned a couple of punches to the arm for that comment.  
  
When graduation day rolled around Minseok was there, at the school, a ticket slipped into his hands by Luhan.  
  
So much had changed since he had first met the ten boys. Some for the better, some maybe for the worst.  
  
Kris and Junmyeon were openly dating now, but from what Minseok gathered Junmyeon’s family still didn’t know. It was a hurdle they would have to face one day if they wanted to stay together.  
  
Chanyeol bought a new guitar and supposedly stopped his secret cuddling sessions with Baekhyun, though Minseok had his suspicions. Jongdae, much to everyone’s surprise, came out in March and was dating Yixing by May. They were happy together, even mushier than Luhan and Minseok.  
  
Jongin eventually accepted Kyungsoo’s relationship with his older sister, going so far as to starting to call him brother-in-law. But every once in awhile Chanyeol would joke about it and the friends would grow distant for a short time.  
  
Tao came back into their lives in the most unexpected of ways, his reappearance signaling a complete change in Sehun’s life.  
  
Sehun got the call in April, during a party at Minseok’s apartment. He rushed to the bathroom in a panic, throwing up as he tried to explain what the call was about.  
  
It seemed that Daisy, his fling from the Maldives trip, was pregnant. It also seemed that Daisy’s cousin, ironically named Maisy, was in the same condition thanks to Tao. To top it all off both women came from a rough and tumble family from Texas, an oil rich clan that demanded the wrongdoers take responsibility and marry the girls.  
  
Sehun, who had been depressed over his sudden path towards poverty, found the idea of marrying a wealthy woman extremely appealing. It was the answer to his family’s money woes, but with a hitch.  
  
“I can’t be a dad, I’m still a baby!” He whined more than once. “She said there are snakes and wild hogs in Texas! I can’t deal with wild hogs I’ve never even been around a not-wild hog!”  
  
His fiancé’s family let him finish the semester before requesting he move to Texas and get married, with the promise to attend college in the states soon after. Sehun’s parents were on cloud nine about the development, eager to see their fortune restored through their in-laws.  
  
Everyone bade Sehun farewell at the airport, hiding their smirks and chuckles as he all but dragged his feet towards the security checkpoint.  
  
Minseok and Luhan left Shanghai a few days after graduation, aboard Luhan’s family’s newest yacht, the Emerald Tiger (god, Minseok hated that name). They were in the Maldives by June, in time for the rains to beat against the sundeck, the beginning of the area's wet season.  
  
It wasn’t a bother to the couple, who preferred to spend their time in the master cabin.  
  
“You know why I ordered you around back then?” Luhan carded his fingers through Minseok’s hair. They were lying in bed, listening to rain beat against the hull. “Because I thought you were cute the moment I saw you.”  
  
“Lies.” Minseok rolled his eyes. “You hated me when you met me. You were shitfaced and angry.”  
  
“That isn’t true.” Luhan protested. “Ask Yixing.”  
  
“Luhan?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Don’t be an ass hat.”  
  
  
  
  
  
**Epilogue**  
  
_6 Months ago_  
  
“Shhh, just let me do it.” Luhan nudged Yixing’s arm. “Come on, they won’t kick me off.”  
  
“No,” Yixing flat out refused.  
  
“How else do you propose I do it, just walk right into economy?” Luhan was amazed that Yixing could even think like that.  
  
“Yes. That would be the least problematic approach.” Yixing agreed.  
  
“But what will he think of me! Just leaving first class like a moron.” Luhan pouted.  
  
“So instead you want him to think of you like a drunk asshole?”  
  
“Yeah, I mean, at least then I would have a reason for wandering out of first class.” Luhan thought it was the perfect plan. He had spied the boy in the airport and set his sights the second he noticed a pair of catlike eyes. He was cute – beyond cute. He was fucking handsome and Luhan needed to find out more about him.  
  
“Sometimes I wonder why I associate with you.” Yixing sighed. He knew Luhan would do what he wanted.  
  
When the flight attendant passed Luhan his tray of food he started his act, giving his best drunken asshole impression as he berated her. He felt marginally bad about it, but the end result was worth it. Once he was sure he had fully convinced everyone in first class, business class, and economy that he was wasted he made his move.  
  
He staggered towards the curtain and tossed it open. A quick scan of the seats revealed his prize. He made an awkward stagger, managing to mock a fall a couple of seats in front of where the boy sat. The boy laughed and Luhan decided it was the most melodious thing he had ever heard.  
  
He kept up the act, asking what was so funny.  
  
“I’m sorry. Can I help you?” That smile. Fuck Luhan was mesmerized, so much so he uttered that exact word. “Fuck.”  
  
He probably would have thrown himself on the man if Yixing hadn’t appeared to fetch him.  
  
When they were back in first class Luhan plopped down in his seat and clutched his chest, ignoring the stares. “Yixing, I think I am in love.”  
  
“Great.” Yixing groaned, always the one to put up with Luhan’s moods – good or bad.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
“You have to be kidding me.” Yixing guffawed.  
  
“What?” Luhan looked up from his phone. He had been reading his favorite web comic to pass the time, waiting for the crew to get to the boat.  
  
“It’s him, that guy you went nuts for.” Yixing gestured towards two figures walking down the pier. One was in a wheelchair, Luhan recognized him as Mr. Kim, the man who had captained his family’s pleasure craft for years.  
  
“Fuck, fuck fuck! I thought he looked a little familiar.” Luhan panicked. “Yixing that is the guy who is going to captain our boat. Shit, shit shit. What do I do?! FUCK!”  
  
“Well he thinks you are trashed thanks to your antics on the plane so…” Yixing shrugged.  
  
Right, he thought he was drunk. Luhan had to keep up the act. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “We don’t have all daaaayyyyy.” He made sure to slur his words, keeping up the act.  
  
As the boy picked up his pace, dragging his suitcase along the pier, Luhan tried not to stare.  
  
“Seriously, Yixing, I think I am in love,” he whispered.  
  
“Well you have three weeks to get him to feel the same. Good luck buddy.” Yixing patted Luhan on the back. “Just try not to act too much like yourself.”  
  
“My abrasive personality is my charm,” Luhan reminded his best friend.  
  
“Good luck, you’ll need it.” Yixing sighed, knowing full well this entire thing would probably require his assistance at some point.  
  
Luhan missed Yixing’s last words, his attention drawn in by the self-declared love of his life.


End file.
